The Minute Machine
by Sunny-Donna
Summary: Rambunctious toddlers and kids alike gather for the Birthday Party Gone Wild! When Louis Weasley gets his hands on a 'Minute-Machine', the Weasley-Potter Family will never be the same again! Back to a time when a war was beginning, can something so innocent survive?
1. The Minute Machine

**_Disclaimer: Characters, Settings and Possible Other Ideas belong to JKR. _****  
**

_Hello! It's so great to be writing again! I had stopped writing for the last year due to many issues and such, mostly educational. Of course, since then, I've restarted and gotten better I'd say. I'm editing more, writing more, and filled with ideas. Let's see how long this lasts. In general though, I should explain. I'm not sure how this will go. I'm limiting myself to three stories at a time, and sadly, I know what the two other ideas are (I just need to start writing). This story is my first that I'll be publishing, and I hope to be steady. _

_However! I must warn you. My updates will be about once in two weeks per story. The reason is, I'm currently, and fondly referencing Harry Potter, a student in my OWL year, and next year is my NEWTS. Thus, I've got a lot on my plate. And I'm probably traveling a lot in the next few months, so these things will eat my time before I've noticed, and the two week promise may slide to three. HOWEVER! I will not stop, nor will I give this up (hopefully). _

_This story itself is a Time Travel Story, as you may have guessed. It features small kids, teenagers and adults. The story is one of my new pride and joys, and I look forward to sharing. Please leave a review, and know, the chapters will increase a bit in length in the next few chapters after I've cut through a lot of introduction. _

**The Minute Machine**

Babies are a handful. If you've ever taken care of any, you undoubtedly know what I mean. They're messy. They're fussy. They hate the word 'no'. And they're curious. Babies are a handful indeed.

Of course, when you're eleven, turning twelve in two days. babies are more than a 'handful'. Their more like an armful, or maybe a giant. Yes, babies are little giants, who destroy everything. And they cry too much. But you're a big brother. There is no option to run away, because what kind of example are you setting?

These thoughts wrestled in the mind of Teddy Remus Lupin as he stared at the picture Victoire had sent him. She was furious. Her favourite chess pieces were missing. Apparently, the boys had found it and tried to make the pieces fight without a board. With the aid of someone's accidental magic, the pieces had erupted into war and now had base-camps somewhere in the Burrow. Apparently they'd managed to find a pawn trying to recruit a gnome.

It was yet to be determined which of the three terrors had done it. Of course, since they were never apart, it was hard to tell whenever any of them performed accidental magic. One of them could easily be a squib, and nobody would know. He tried not to laugh as he reread Vicky's letter. She had a knack for description, and her mention of the lumpy gnome using swears to communicate with the pawn was amusing.

"Something funny, Mr. Lupin?" asked a mildly interested voice, jolting Teddy from his reverie.

The pale eleven year old boy glanced at his professor. His hair was a bright shocking blue, and no matter how much Professor Meaden complained, he'd never change the colour, unless he was in her class of course. His eyes were wide, gazing at Neville with the Weasley blue this week, since he was feeling a bit homesick to celebrate his birthday away from home. When he sat up, he hovered over his friends, and Neville suspected it wouldn't be long when he was towering over most. Though, in muscle, he looked so bony that he doubted the height would be imposing to anyone.

"No Professor! I was- I mean-

"As long as you pay attention to the uses of Mandrake juice from here out, I'll just dock five points," said the kind-faced Neville Longbottom, which made Teddy flush and nod as he tucked the letter away.

The rest of the lesson went by without musing about babies and gnomes, though the occasional pawn did slip into his notes on petrification.

* * *

"Maman, what should we send Teddy for his birthday?" asked Victoire, glancing anxiously at her mother, late that night as her mother braided her hair before bed.

"I'm not sure, ma cherie," said the older French woman, brushing her daughter's pale blonde hair with a smile on her face. She still remembered Bill's surprise at seeing a blonde Weasley they day their daughter was born.

"Can we send him something exciting?" asked Victoire, squiriming as she felt her mother's brush slowing down.

"What do you 'ave in mind?" asked Fleur, as Victoire scrunched her face in thought.

"Fireworks! And Snap dragons!" said Victoire, thinking of her Uncle George's new shop.

"Zose are not allowed at ze school, cherie," warned Fleur, as she twisted the blonde hair into a neat braid.

"But maman!" pouted Victoire, just as the door to her room opened.

"I thought I heard my angels voices," said a man from the doorway. He was tall and muscled, with a hard set of scars on his face. He glanced at the two women, who smiled gaily in response. "Where's Dominique?"

"She's on an adventure," said Fleur with a smirk, as the closet door swung open.

An eight-year old girl jumped out of the closet, wearing a shirt of her fathers, and carrying a fake wand that cast sparks, and had a set transfiguration. That was the reason all of Bill's ties had become flowers, though as the charm wore off, the daisies had stranger and stranger patterns, such as red and gold stripes, or points at the tips. Some daisies were soft as silk.. It was called a Playwand for Kids, invented by Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Her head was under a large garden hat meant for a much older woman and she wore two socks on her hands with holes for four fingers to poke through. With her small fingers, the ring finger and pinky managed to occupy one of the rips.

"Hello Princess, what are you doing today?" askes Bill, scooping up his younger daughter. She had the Weasley red hair, but no freckles, and the Weasley thin nose, but her mother's eyes. Victoire, on the other hand, looked exactly like her mother, but with her aunt Ginny's tiny height.

"I'm slaying the Beast that hides in closets," Dominique said delightedly.

"Can I come out now?" asked a tired voice from within the closet.

"Yes you can, mon chou," said Fleur with a smile as the boy tumbled out, looking highly disgruntled for a little boy.

"I want to be the Curse Breaker next time!" said Louis with a whine, "Why do you always get to break the curse and I always have to be the Beast who gets slayed?"

"Because I'm oldest, and a girl, and you can't hit girls!" said Dominique impatiently, as her father moved to sit down on her bed.

"Maman!" cried Louis, whirling to face his mother as she let go of Victoire's braid, "I don't want to be slayed! Can't you trade me for Roxanne? Fred says he'd rather me over her! I want to stay with Fred and James!"

"And ruin more French chess sets from grandmere?" said Victoire with a scowl on her face.

"First of all, James stays with 'is mummy and daddy at 'ome. Second, it's slain, not slayed. And third, Angie would be 'ighly upset with me for taking 'er daughter, no?" said Fleur, taking her son into her arms. She brushed his reddish blonde hair, that was getting blonder recently. His blue eyes were furious and his face, identical nearly to her handsome Bill's despite his lack of freckles and his curly hair from her father.

"But I hate girls," said Louis with a glare at his sisters, neither who could be bothered as they were competing for their father's attention.

"My braids, do you like them?"

"And then I went to the Elf Stone for the words of wisdom!"

"And Teddy said he didn't want anything at all!"

"And I broke the curse on the chest, but it broke so I had to fix it before the Angry Veela Woman found me!"

"Angry Veela Woman?" muttered Fleur, suspecting one of her brother-in-laws had nicknamed her that after her tirade last weekend about keeping babies off brooms.

"Let's run away maman, just you and me," said Louis tiredly, "I'll protect you, and Daddy can come after he escapes the She-Beasts!"

"Don't call your sisters that," murmured Fleur, rubbing Louis's back in a circular motion, knowing he was ready to be put to bed.

"I've got the girls," said Bill knowingly, as he slid Dominique off his lap and into her bed, "You can take Louis to his room to escape the madness."

"Hey!"

"Merci," mouthed Fleur to Bill, as she picked her son up as he giggled at the indignant look on his sisters faces.

"Can I get a story, maman?" asked Louis hopefully, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck. The six year old was getting heavier, and Fleur found herself feeling wistful as she carried her curly haired boy.

"Of course, mon chou," said Fleur, as they entered a cozy little green room. It was messy, with books and pages strewn everywhere. Some were drawn on, others written on. The name Louis was written childishly in red ink above the small blue bed in the corner of the room.

As she set her little boy on the bed, Fleur marveled at how quickly he'd grown up. Six years seemed to have floated by. A part of her wished he was still the curly haired toddler who couldn't bear to be more than a foot away from his mother. Now he was running around and causing mayhem. Her baby boy was growing, and Fleur wasn't ready to see him grow. Next year Victoire would go to Hogwarts, and Dominique would be old enough to start flying on a proper broom. Yes, her children were growing, and she just wished she could keep them little for longer.

"Maman?" asked Louis, as he curled into his quilt, which had fishes swimming in the sea, "My story."

"Coming Louis!" she said in a sing song voice, brushing his curly hair, and getting down a book from his shelf. As she settled beside him, and began to read, he couldn't help but snuggle closer. During the frightening part where Thunder Boy and the Red Rover had trapped themselves in the Cave of Gloom, Louis was gripping on to her, causing the woman to relax, happy to know her son still needed her.

* * *

"'ad a good day at work, mon coeur?" asked Fleur with a smile, as Bill climbed into the bed beside her. It had taken him much longer to detangle himself from the two warring sisters, both desperate for Daddy's attention.

"About as good a day as one can get with the goblins," said Bill, kissing his wife on the nose, and earning a smile from her.

"You seem tense," she said, as he leaned back against the headboard, and took her hand.

"Nothing, it's just- a work thing," he said evasively, causing the smile on Fleur's lips to drop.

"Nozzing?" she asked, gently squeezing his hand, her French accent getting stronger as she began to worry.

"Just a situation with a cursed Time-Turner we found," he said with a grimace.

"Tell me about it," said Fleur gently, relaxing that it didn't seem too bad. Oh if only she had been better prepared.

"It's cursed, but I just can't figure out how," he explained, leaning back. "Each time it turns, the length it uses changes. So we can only turn it once, but it could be fatal. Edwards ended up travelling back in time a week, and had to go in hiding. He told us the next day when he walked in with a beard and a cane. He'd been living in a muggle woods for a while, trying to avoid disrupting the time line as much as possible. Morrison only ended up travelling back an hour and tucked himself away in a spare vault we set up for travellers to stay in until their time is up after Edwards. We think it's getting slower in time, so we assume it goes back minutes this turn. I have the thing in my coat pocket right now, in our closet. The goblins want to strip it down for the gold, but the ministry wants it to try to replicate the design to make more. If only we could figure out what curse was used."

"I'm sure you'll find it, but- Did you have to bring it home?" asked Fleur nervously, not liking the dangerous object inside the house. Her eyes glanced at the closet, as she clutched the blanket with her hands.

"It's fine, don't worry. The kids never go through my coat, and they don't need to know about it. Besides, I'm going to see if Hermione or Harry have seen anything like it when we go to Grimmauld on Sunday for the surprise party for Teddy. I'm bringing it disguised as a present for him," said Bill with a nod.

"It was smart of Ginny to organize a party. I think 'Arry missed Teddy too," said Fleur with a smile, as she slouched down a bit, getting ready to go to sleep.

"I can't believe he's twelve already," said Bill with a chuckle, "Remember when he was a baby and we tried taking care of him for practice?"

"They grow too fast," said Fleur mournfully.

"I know love, I know," said Bill with a sigh, as he waved his wand to turn the lamp beside him off.

[hr]

"-Goes back in minutes now...Coat pocket...replicate design..." Louis heard in his tired daze as he trotted down the hall to ask maman if he could share her bed. The Cave of Gloom had trapped him while he was sleeping.

Immediately he stopped, and his eyes went wide. He strained his little ear to listen a bit more, curious about what they were talking. He heard something about a surprise party, and a present, before he skipped back to his room. Once he was inside, he grinned widely. What a cool gift! Teddy was so lucky! He wished he could get something so interesting!

Louis moved to a piece of paper, and grabbed the bottle of red ink from underneath his bed, along with his spare quill. He wondered what it looked like, as he began scribbling a picture of the Minute-Machine down. This would be so cool! James and Fred would be so impressed when they found out what Teddy was getting. Maybe they could make a Minute-Machine together! And then they could use it to go back in time. But it would need a lot of minutes. Like a hundred! Or more! How many minutes does one need? As he dipped his quill in ink to add in a clock with minutes going around, he mulled over this. The Cave of Gloom disappeared from his dreams, and slowly, little Louis began to drift off to sleep, dreaming of the Minute-Machine.

Two hours later, Fleur and Bill would find hear him knocking to sleep with them. He had gone so many minutes ahead in time, and his parents had decided to have another baby to replace him since he had grown too quickly. And so, the parents would tuck the scared little boy into bed between them, after reassuring him they had no plans to have another baby. And both would wonder what brought that on.


	2. Teddy's Birthday Party

**Disclaimer: **_**Characters, Settings and Possible Other Ideas belong to JKR.**_

_So, this is the second chapter. I sort of skipped over some details for the birthday party because I didn't particularly care for it. Anyways, the next couple of chapters will be the settling in. I don't have much else to say, except I should update Wednesday probably. _

**Teddy's Birthday Party**

Everyone was gathered at Grimmauld. Over the years, the place had changed drastically. The dark and gothic decor was replaced with white walls, and light wood on the floors. The house was aired dramatically by the clean windows, and it looked like a respectable place to live. Upon entering the house, the kids were gone from Bill and Fleur's arms. Wild shrieks resounded through the house, as Ginny came into view. His younger sister's bright smile and wave of her hand ushered them into the house.

"Where's Harry?" asked Bill with a glance around the room.

It was decorated with bright red and yellow balloons, interspersed with blue as well. A big banner hung on a wall, with the word happy birthday written in changing colours. A pile of presents was stacked up on the table. Around the room, various adults were mingling. The scent of his mother's cooking wafted through the air, and Bill knew where his mother was now.

"He's gone to fetch Teddy, the kids are all over the place," said Ginny with a nod, as Bill spotted a head of bushy red hair run by with a black-haired Potter.

"The place looks great by the way," said Bill with a grin.

"It really does, 'ow can I 'elp?" asked Fleur, already tying back her blonde hair.

"Mum could probably use some help," admitted Ginny, "I've been dodging the kitchen area trying to set up the party stuff."

"Well, with that cheery note, I'm going to set my coat in the closet, and then I'll come and help you with any last minute stuff," said Bill with a grin.

"It would be great if you could just get the kids to understand the point of a surprise party. None of them seem to understand the idea," said Ginny wryly, "James confused the toddlers into yelling 'surprise' at anyone who walks in."

"I see, well, that is worrisome," said Bill with a chuckle.

* * *

"A minute machine?" asked Louis's best friends, Fred and James Potter. James had the red Weasley hair, combined with the brown eyes his mother had. His face was smattered with freckles, but otherwise, he looked very similar to his father. Beside him, Fred stood with his dark curly hair, freckled face and tanned skin. The blue Weasley eyes gazed at Louis with enthusiasm.

"Yeah! And it's Teddy birthday present! It sounds super cool!" said Louis with a grin.

"And Teddy gets one?" asked James, sounding a bit jealous.

"Yeah," said Louis, frowning himself.

"Why can't we get one?" asked Fred with a pout.

"Get what?" asked a bossy voice, causing the three boys to turn. Behind them stood Molly Weasley, their seven year old cousin.

"None of your business," said a scowling Louis. Molly and Louis had been born a week apart in early February, while Fred and James had been born almost eight months later, however, neither cousin got along. In fact, they were more inclined to argue than to agree on anything.

"Why can't I know?" asked Molly with a glare.

"Because it's a boy thing," said Louis, glaring back at Molly.

"Whatever, I just came in here to tell you that the birthday party is starting soon, and we have to say surprise," said Molly huffily, before turning away, her strawberry blonde pig-tails bouncing as she walked.

"Hang on! I have an idea!" said Fred with a bright grin.

"What's your idea?" asked James.

"While everyone's doing the whole surprise thing, I'll sneak off to Uncle Bill's coat, and get the present! Nobody'd suspect a thing!" said Fred with a big grin.

"Everyone would suspect something was up if you went missing," said Louis with an eye roll.

"Well, what's your plan? This is the coolest thing in the history of cool things and you guys are just standing there!" said Fred with a glare.

"What if- what if instead of you going, we send someone else?" asked James with a grin, "Nobody'll believe us if we say we were just in the bathroom, but if it was someone else-

"Like who?" asked Louis sardonically, "None of my sisters are worth asking, Fred's sister is two years old, and-

"Albus, that's who. Al will do it," said James with a proud grin.

"You know, that just might work," said Fred, as all three boys grinned at each other.

* * *

Teddy gaped as his Uncle Harry brought him home. He stared at all the kids yelling surprise, and felt his hair go bright red in embarrassment and happiness. He grinned widely, having missed them, before he was hugged by an excited Victoire. He hugged her back, before asking what she'd got him. She scowled in response, and told him to stuff it, causing him to chuckle. Soon the party was off in full-swing, and he was enjoying himself.

The adults were mingling, and Teddy had done everything from playing Gobstones with his uncles, Victoire and Dominique, to reciting stories about Hogwarts with his aunts. He was exhausted, but still super excited. At some point, after stuffing their faces with lunch, the younger kids had been taken away to be put down for a nap, while the others split off in various directions. Teddy had barely been sitting on the couch five minutes before-

"Teddy! Can you read with me?" asked an excited voice, and he turned to see Rose glancing at him hopefully with big blue eyes. The four year old was bouncing on her heels as she stared at him hopefully.

"Sure thing Rosie," said Teddy with a grin, as he took her hand.

"Me too?" asked a shy voice, and he jumped with a start to realize Albus was standing behind him. The boy's green eyes and shy expression were hard to miss, and Teddy stared at him. Since when was Al so shy of him? Al only acted shy around strangers! He seemed nervous too, and Teddy wondered if he'd done something strange to Al.

"Of course Al," said Teddy, taking the little boy's hand.

As the three trudged upstairs to get a book, Victoire found them. She frowned a little upon seeing the younger kids hanging off of each of Teddy's arms, but followed him nonetheless, chattering away about how bored she was without Teddy, and how excited she was to go to Hogwarts next year. They heard excited giggles coming from the drawing room, and opened it to see Dominique and Molly laughing as they looked through a book. The older, blonde nine year old waved happily at them, before regaling Molly with some ridiculous tale about how she was going to be a dragon-tamer when she grew up.

"What are you two doing?" asked Victoire curiously.

"We're looking at potions! Dom said we can make some because she knows where the potions ingredients are!" said Molly with a proud grin.

"Dom! You can't make a potion! You're too young," said Victoire with a frown. It annoyed her to no end that her sister never acted like an adult, and instead was so childish all the time.

"I can too! Dad says I can do anything I put my mind to, and that includes making potions," said Dominique with a smirk, "And besides, we're making potions after we capture the Gnome King, right Molly?"

"Right!" said Molly with a nod.

"We're reading a story!" said Rose excitedly, "Want to join us?"

"No thanks Rosie," said Dominique, but immediately regretted it as the little girl's face fell, "Well- maybe not, let's read a story."

"But-

"We can catch acromantula some other time Molly," said Dominique with a nudge at the younger girl, and Molly sighed.

"Are the babies taking their nap right now?" asked Teddy, before telling Rose and Al to go pick a story with Dominique, who led them away with a grin as she began telling them about the time she freed a goblin from an ancient curse.

"Probably, that's why it's so quiet," said Victoire with a sigh, "Actually, where are James, Louis and Fred?"

"They said they were going to take a present of Teddy's," said Molly immediately, remembering the conversation she overheard.

"They what!?" said Victorie with a sudden glare, wondering if Louis had discovered she had bought Teddy a big basket of prank items.

"What's the matter Vicky?" asked Teddy, seeing his friend's angry look.

"Those gits! I'm going to get that back!" said Victoire angrily, as she rushed out of the room, and then gazed at the empty hallway. Where could they be?"

"Molly, did they say where they were hiding?" asked Victoire, turning to face her cousin with a harsh look.

"Somewhere they'd have to be really quiet, but nobody would know they'd be in there because it was occupied," said Molly with a grin, glad to get back at Louis for shoving her away. Served him right.

"Where on earth is that?!" asked Victoire, staring at them as Dominique returned with the two kids and a book about King Arthur.

"Isn't that the nap room?" she asked, staring at her sister with a mildly amused expression, "That's where I'd hide, if I could be quiet enough."

"Let's get them!" said Vicky, moving to where the nap room was.

"Um- Teddy," said a voice, tugging on his sleeve.

The boy turned to where Al was standing, looking miserable as the girls ran off to chase down the three trouble makers. He stared at his younger cousin, wondering what was going on. The little boy looked downright upset- as though he'd committed a crime.

"What's the matter, Al?" asked Teddy, bending down before the little black-haired, green-eyed four-year old.

"I took the present from Uncle Bill's coat when everyone was doing Su'prise," he whispered, looking shame-faced and upset with himself.

"Why'd you do that?" asked Teddy cautiously, not wanting the boy to burst into tears.

"Be- Because James and Louis and Freddy asked me too! They said I could play with it later too- but then they went away and I couldn't find them!" said Al with a pout, though his lower lip was trembling and Teddy suspected he was close to tears.

"Well, let's go get them, shall we?" asked Teddy with a grin, and then took Al's hand and led the much more cheerful boy to the nap-room.

* * *

Inside the nap room, James, Louis and Fred were huddled around the time turner, glancing at the thing as Louis continuously turned the hour-glass shape. He didn't know how many times he'd turned it, but he suspected they'd need a lot to go back in time at least an hour or so.

"How much longer?" asked Fred with a whine, as it continuously turned and turned.

"I don't know," said Louis, bored out of his mind, and wishing the hour-glass would turn on it's on.

Lucky for Louis, the hour-glass did just that. It began turning faster and faster thanks to the interference of Louis's accidental magic, and the boys stared at the toy in excitement. It turned and turned. Suddenly, the door swung open, and in came all the girls, Teddy and Al.

"What are you doing here?" asked James in horror, as the hour-glass kept turning.

"What are you doing with that?" asked Victoire, her anger fizzling when she realized that wasn't her present to Teddy.

"What is that?" asked Molly in shock, staring at it.

"Mamma?" asked a voice, and they turned to see the toddlers getting up.

Little Lily was the first one awake, her red hair and brown eyes staring at all of them, before Teddy helped her get out of the crib. As soon as Lily was out, all the toddlers wanted out. So Teddy went around helping the kids get down and join the fun. A grumpy Lucy, whined about being woken up as Teddy ruffled her red hair. She glared reproachfully at him with her hazel eyes. Roxanne was much more pleasant and excited, as she rushed to see the excitement on her little feet. She was the smallest toddler, and her blue eyes seemed to never stop sparkling, though her black hair kept getting in the way. Hugo was too sleepy to realize the excitement and just rubbed his blue eyes before yawning and moving to ask his sister what was going on.

As Teddy turned around, he stared at the device in Louis's hands. The boy was staring at the crowd in anger, but Teddy could hardly care. Something about the device the younger boy was holding made Teddy uneasy.

"Louis- What is that?" asked Teddy nervously, as he approached the boy.

"It's- It's ours, you can't have it!" said James, looking uneasy.

"Is it spinning?" asked Dominique curiously.

"Why is it spinning?" asked Teddy in surprise.

"Make it stop," said Victoire nervously.

"Ah- Alright," said Louis, and on cue, the hour glass stopped spinning.

And then the world went hazy.

* * *

_ "CRACK!_

_ 'OUCH!'_

_ Keep your voice down, Ron, or Mum'l__l be __back up__here.'_

_ 'You two just Apparated on my knees!'_

_ 'Yeah, well, it's harder in the dark.'_

_ Harry saw the blurred outlines of Fred and George leaping down from Ron's bed. There was a groan of bedsprings and Harry's mattress descended a few inches as George sat down near his feet."_

Before Harry, the twins, or Ron could relax, there were more squeals and cries. From the ceiling, kids seemed to be raining down. To Harry's immense shock, three landed on top of him, knocking the wind out of him. The loud thumps and cries of the children resounded through the house, and immediately he could hear someone coming up the stairs.

"Lumos!" said one of the twins, and the light illuminated the faces of what appeared to be thirteen kids standing around. Some of them looked like babies, and the little boy on his chest seemed vaguely familiar with his blue eyes and brown hair, until he started crying.

"Bloody hell! Where did these kids come from?" asked Ron, and Harry gaped seeing two on top of Ron.

A blue haired kid from the corner of the room began to call out names, but Harry could hardly keep track. The kids jumped off him and Ron, and ran to the boy. A blonde ten year old, who'd landed directly on top of George- or was it Fred?- rushed over after screaming in shock. Immediately George, groaning as he did, got up and turned the lights on. That's when Ron and Harry sat up and stared at the kids. There were so many of them! Some looked like Weasley's with their red hair, however, others looked different from the Weasleys. He gaped in shock when he saw a little boy who looked nearly identical to him, besides the glasses.

"Ron! Harry! What's going on in there? I heard some noise! Open the door!" came Mrs. Weasley's voice from outside.

Without hesitation, George opened the door nervously, revealing an anxious looking Mrs. Weasley, who's jaw dropped when she saw the huddled kids in the corner. They were staring at the room in shock, and the youngest ones began to cry.

"It's okay, don't cry," said the blonde girl who'd fallen on George, trying to nervously keep the younger kids calm. Harry saw his mini-look-alike trying hard to be brave, though he was tearing up.

"Who- How- What?!" said Mrs. Weasley in shock, clutching her chest as her eyes gazed over them. They looked so much like her own kids, some, and she couldn't miss the Harry look-alike. She saw a blonde little Bill, looking frightened, and a little girl with a vague resemblance to Percy. There was a darker skinned, dark-haired George or Fred, and Arthur's eyes seemed to be gazing at her from so many of the little kids.

"Where are we?" asked the blue-haired boy, looking nervous as he stepped forward, trying to shield all the kids with his own body, which was failing more than anything.

"Get Sirius, and Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley, trying to steel her nerves, "Go get them now!"

Without a second word, the twins apparated away, and for once, Mrs. Weasley hardly looked annoyed. She stared at the kids, much like they stared back at her. Immediately, she relaxed, trying to keep her own shock at a minimum. They were children after all!

"Hello there," said Mrs. Weasley nervously, as she nudged Ron and Harry over to her side, to give the kids some space, "My name is Molly Weasley, what's your names?"

"Molly Weasley?" asked the blue-haired boy, exchanging a glance with the blonde girl beside him, who's jaw dropped.

"Yes- Er- Do we know each other?" asked Mrs. Weasley, surprised the boy seemed familiar with her name.

"Molly, what's going on?" asked a voice, and Mrs. Weasley turned to see Arthur, Remus and Sirius behind her. The minute they saw the kids, they froze, much like she did.

"How- What- Where?!" asked Sirius, gobsmacked as he stared in shock, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.

"Harry, Ron, I think we need some explanations," said Remus calmly, staring at the kids as well.

"They just appeared out of nowhere," said Ron adamantly, "Like they fell from the sky."

"How did you get in here?" asked Remus, staring at the blue-haired boy, and with a jolt, recognizing the amber eyes that stared back. The boy looked very familiar, though he couldn't place quite why.

However, the blue-haired boy took one look at Remus, and then fell to his knees, staring at him as though he'd seen a ghost. The blonde girl immediately moved to grasp his shoulder, trying hard not to stare, but her eyes gaped at Remus much like the blue-haired boy.

"Teddy," she began, but words failed her, as the younger kids needed attention too. They seemed shocked, and that's when the four-year olds succumbed to tears.

"Enough!" said Mrs. Weasley, her gaze threatening as she glared at all the men, "They're children!"

"But we need to know how they got in here!" said Sirius, starting to regain his senses.

"Teddy, is that your name?" asked Mrs. Weasley, smiling at the blue-haired boy, who seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Y- Yeah," he said, his eyes never leaving Remus, who stared back at the boy.

"Can you tell us how you got here?" she asked quietly, trying her best not to scare the children, though she just wanted to pick everyone of them up and hug them.

"May- Maybe I should," said the blonde girl, as Teddy shook his head. The younger kids began to approach him, and he wrapped an arm around as many as he could. They wanted to go home, and Mrs. Weasley's heart broke hearing their cries.

"What's your name dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley, which surprisingly made the girl flinch.

"I- I'm Victoire, Gr- Mrs. Weasley," said Victoire nervously.

"And how did you get here?" asked Mrs. Weasley kindly.

"We don't know," she began nervously. "One minute we were all in the nursery where the kids were taking their naps, and James, Freddy and Louis were being naughty with some new toy, and then everything started to spin and it was hazy and I fell on that guy."

She pointed at George, staring at him nervously, her eyes going back and forth between the two twins. Meanwhile, Fred was mouthing the name Freddy, as Sirius looked at the Harry look-alike and wondered if he was the said James.

"What toy was this?" Asked Mrs. Weasley, wondering if it was some kind of portkey.

"It was- Louis can you give it to me?" asked Victoire, turning impatiently to the blonde child that resembled Bill, and Mrs. Weasley made a note of the name. She then showed the device to Mrs. Weasley, who stared in shock.

"Arthur," she said, gently picking up the device, and turning to the group of men huddled at the door, "They got here with a time turner."


	3. Interrogations

**Disclaimer: So, not mine. **

_Anyways, this chapter's a bit iffy with me. I excluded the younger kids purposefully because well, this isn't an easy conversation. They'll be back next chapter for some fluffy goodness. Of course, the story's getting thicker now. I'm not sure if the emotions were apt in the situation, but I've decided to keep it this way. Overall I feel like I dramatized it and at the same time, didn't capture it completely- so I do want to note I'll be revisiting this grief. _

**Interrogations**

The teenagers had been relocated for the time being to a study they had recently cleaned out. Hermione and Ginny had been awoken and were now getting the full run down of the incident that had happened earlier as they rubbed some bruise salve on Harry and Ron. Everyone was silent as the boys took turns talking. Hermione's jaw was flopped open the entire time, her hands pausing as she rubbed the salve on Harry, whereas Ginny stared in wide-eyed shock and would end up rubbing too fast and causing Ron to wince. Fred was assisting George as Ginny capped the bottle just as the tale ended.

"So what happened after they discovered the time turner?" asked Hermione in shock, her eyes wide.

"Well, Sirius went barmy and said that couldn't be realistic and those things didn't work that way, which only got more kids crying," said Ron with a grimace.

"And then mum exploded," added Fred with a chuckle, "She told everyone to get out and told them if they so much as looked at the kids with anything besides a smile she'd slaughter them."

"And then, the blonde girl that gave me this bruise, she just clung to Mum's leg and seemed pretty relieved, much to everyone's surprise, so all the kids relaxed and moved to mum- and you know mum, she was practically exploding in happiness, she was over the moon. Remus went to go get Mad-Eye since he'd be able to assess the situation like an Auror. Said they'd message Dumbledore in the morning, something about Dumbledore being on a misson. Then another little girl asked if she was their Grandma. And if so to call mummy and daddy," said George, which effectively silenced the girls in shock.

"She didn't look like a Weasley though, her hair was black," said Harry with a nod.

"S- so what happened?" asked Ginny, her eyes wide.

"Mum was confused, and ecstatic and stammering, she nearly burst into tears before dad asked if they were sure she was their Grandma, and he looked pretty stunned himself," said Fred with a grin, remembering his usually calm father's flustered expression.

"And then another kid- the blonde boy, he asked the blonde girl if that was Grandpa, but then he continued it with saying he has too much hair and he looks weird," said George, earning weak laughs from the girls.

"We didn't get much else, Remus and your mum suggested we all leave so that Mrs. Weasley could get some answers," said Harry, thinking of his mini version.

"Do you believe them?" asked Hermione in shock.

"We saw a mini-Harry, and the blonde little boy looked like Bill, and I swear I saw a little Ginny," said Fred with a shrug.

"And we've never ran into a spell that could do that, otherwise it would be our newest prank product," finished George.

"Wow," said Ginny, her eyes wide at the thought of a little her running around, her cheeks pink at the idea.

The teens were silent for a minute, before Ron said, "You reckon we might meet our future kids?"

"Don't worry, we didn't see any mini-Rons, so I doubt any woman decided to run-off with your ugly mug," teased Fred, which got him a sharp glare from Ron.

"Mini-Rons," murmured Harry, but only Hermione heard, as he looked pensive.

"Like we saw any minis of you!" snarled Ron, his ears red.

"Oi! I bear that face too! I'd like to think I have a kid," said George with a smirk, "Or a few. I mean, I am a Weasley after all."

"Where are they now?" asked Hermione, her own curiosity arising. No one had mentioned a mini-Hermione, and she suddenly felt anxious.

"Probably still in that room," said Harry, looking paler than before, "Mrs. Weasley was fixing them all snacks."

"Snacks?" snorted Ginny, "If she has her way she'll be cooking them each a ten-course meal just for being grand-kids."

"That is if they really are," reminded Hermione weakly, which left the teens to ponder their suddenly very real futures.

* * *

Downstairs, Bill had just finished inspecting the Time-Turner. Mad-Eye Moody had been called in specially for the situation, and he'd brought at least ten dark detectors with him. Mrs. Weasley had refused to let Mad-Eye near the children after the youngest ones had burst into tears upon seeing such a frightening man. He'd used his magical eye to assess the situation. All the adults had assessed the children with the dark detectors from afar, still not trusting them entirely. They'd determined the children were just children just as Bill claimed the Time-Turner was cursed to move at different times.

"So, they really are from the future?" asked Sirius in shock, sitting himself down.

"Oh isn't it wonderful!" gushed Mrs. Weasley, looking over the moon. In fact, Sirius had doubted he'd ever seen her this happy. Judging from Arthur's bemused and shocked expression, Sirius had a feeling Arthur was still in shock.

"So, I suppose we need to talk to the kids and determine where they're from," barked Moody, "Molly, they trust you, go grab one to interrogate."

"Are you mad! They're just children! You can't interrogate them!" said Molly in horror, "Why Louis just turned six, and Lucy and Roxy are not even two yet!"

"Molly, why not get the two oldest so we can ask them questions, not interrogate, just assess the situation," said Remus politely, as he heard Sirius mutter "How'd she memorize their names already?! There are so many of the little buggers!"

"Ah, of course, but if they're uncomfortable for even a second," said Mrs. Weasley threateningly to Mad-Eye, who merely shuffled slightly.

Mrs Weasley turned on her heels and headed upstairs to the tiny room where the children where holed up. She'd given them some cards and chess sets, and a lot of food. Sirius had expressly ordered Kreacher to stay away from the room. All in all, they should be alright. As she opened the door, she was relieved to see that they were relatively calm, though a little shell-shocked. The youngest kids were giggling at the chess-sets, thoroughly amused by the pieces, who cried out for a rescue. The blonde girl- Victoire- and Teddy were whispering in a hushed tone. The other children were playing a game of Exploding Snap as Dominique feebly tried to keep the morale up by claiming she'd been to many houses like this during her adventures.

"Victoire, Teddy," began Mrs. Weasley gently, as she shut the door, "Would you be willing to come explain the situation to some of the adults?"

"Ah- okay- um, Grandma," said Victoire, looking a little afraid as Teddy's head snapped up and he stared in shock and fright. Mrs. Weasley simply laid a hand on the boy's reassuringly.

"Ganma!" said the little brown-haired Hugo, "We come too?"

"I'm afraid not Hugo, the scary man will be there," said Mrs. Weasley, beaming brightly at the word 'Grandma', "But as soon as he's gone, I'll take you all downstairs."

"Kay," said Lily, moving back to prodding the knight she was holding,

"Dom's in charge," said Victoire to all the kids, and they nodded back, though some of the older ones scowled a bit, particularly a red-headed boy.

As Mrs. Weasley lead the children downstairs, she resisted the urge to ask their parents names. Arthur and Sirius, and later, Mad-Eye had expressly forbidden her from getting too caught up in the kids before the situation was clear. And so, Mrs. Weasley tried to avoid her burning curiosity. Of course, she had searched all their faces for features she recognized, and the red-headed Weasley-Potter James had almost made her squeal. Not to mention the Ginny look-alike called Lily. The little girl who resembled her Percy and was named Molly had her almost burst in tears. Then the red-headed Hermione almost had given her a satisfied chuckle. However, the blonde Weasley's, especially Louis, had made her worried. She didn't know any of her sons were seeing some blonde! Of course, it was in the future.. but she had no idea who this woman could be. The dark-skinned children made her wonder if Charlie had settled down, though the boy did resemble the twins. Yes, these thoughts occupied her thoughts, keeping her from listening to the children's hushed discussion.

"Ah, here they are," said Remus with a warm smile, only to be surprised by the blue-haired kid's hair turning a bright red.

"He's a Metamorphmagus!" said Sirius in shock, staring at the kid, who had ducked behind Mrs. Weasley.

"I wonder if Tonks had a son," said Bill dryly, getting a few chuckles.

"Oh don't tease the boy, come on, why don't you two take a seat at the table?" suggested Mrs. Weasley, leading them to the table.

"Why don't you start by telling us your names?" asked Bill kindly.

Victoire frowned at the man. He looked similar to her daddy in his photos, before he was attacked by the bad werewolf. It felt strange to see her dad without his scars, and she suddenly felt nervous and alienated. She wanted her daddy, not this strange version. What if he didn't like her? What if he was too different? What if he didn't want her? Suddenly Vicky realized how Teddy was feeling, and she glanced at his face, which never left Remus's in a strange, star-struck, slack-jawed way. However, if Remus ever so much looked at Teddy, he'd turn bright red and look away.

"I'm Victoire," she replied, a bit irritated at Teddy.

"Victoire what?" barked the scary-faced man, which made her jump, and stare at him in shock and fear.

"Mad-Eye," growled her grandma, and he stopped his strange eye from whiring around.

"Weasley," she added meekly, getting a few odd looks.

"How'd you end up a blonde?" asked the scraggly black-haired man Teddy had called Serious or something like that.

"My mum's a blonde," she said shyly, glancing at her father, who didn't react at all, though he was regarding her curiously.

"I'm Teddy," squeaked the boy beside her. Before Mad-Eye, as Grandma called him, could speak, he was silenced with a glare, and then a heavy silence filled the room.

"Teddy," urged Victoire quietly, nudging the boy beside her.

"What's your last name Teddy?" asked her grandpa gently.

"-pin!" squeaked Teddy, glancing at the ground.

"Pin? Or was that supposed to be Lupin?" asked Mr. Serious, grinning widely all of a sudden.

"Yeah," mumbled Teddy, only for an excited squeal to be heard from outside the door.

"Congratulations," chuckled Arthur, as Remus stared at Teddy in the same wide-eyed wonder the boy was giving him.

"What was that?" asked Molly suddenly, her smile so wide that Mad-Eye was wondering if she would break her face. Of course, Sirius was giving her a run for his money as he grinned and clapped a stunned Remus on the back.

"S'your kids," said Mad-Eye, his eye had been on them for a while, "They got here after you brought the kids in and been tryin' to eavesdrop."

"Oh for heavens sake! Let me send them away," said Molly, so completely elated she missed the obvious shuffling to hide the Extendable Ears and the underlying connotation of Mad-Eye's words.

"Let them in, it's not like they won't learn it later on," said Sirius cheerfully, getting up and passing Molly to the door.

"Oh alright!" said Molly, beaming with Sirius as they opened the door to a group of gob-smacked teenagers staring at them.

"Come on in!" said Sirius, ushering in the teens, who filed in, still shocked, but hardly complaining.

"So, what did we miss?" asked Fred cheerfully, getting over the shock of his mother and Sirius smiling together pretty easily.

"That's Victoire Weasley and that's Teddy Lupin," said Bill with a nod, pointing to each child.

"Told you it was Lupin," said George smugly to Ron, who scowled in response.

"How'd a Weasley come out blonde?" asked Ron, ignoring George's taunt and seating himself before Victoire.

"My mum's blonde," said Victoire brightly, though she seemed confused staring at Ron, and even more interested in the twins, who stood behind him and stared at their potential niece, before sharpening their eyes to try and spot any of themselves in the girl.

"Do we know any blondes?" muttered Fred to George.

"The girl from Beauxbatons with the pretty green eyes?" suggested George.

"The Hufflepuff with the blonde curls in the year above?" replied Fred.

"The possibility that she's Charlie's kid?" chimed in Ginny, relieved and disappointed Victoire wasn't hers, since the girl had her similar small height, but nothing else of hers. Though a handsome blonde husband would be nice.

"She's not a dragon," replied Ron, as though that settled the matter, which from the nod from the brothers, suggested it did, and earned a giggle from Victoire and a weak laugh from Teddy.

"Have- Teddy," began Remus, clearing his throat as he looked over the boy, frowning a bit, "Do- Is- I mean- Am I not a part of your life?"

Immediately the room went quiet. No one knew what to say at Remus's blunt question, and the man himself looked like a deer in the headlights. He stared at the child, looking pained and embarrassed. Teddy had lost all color, his hair even going white in shock. Meanwhile, the rest of the room stiffened and stared between the two. Mad-Eye made a move to interrupt, but stopped upon the tension in the room. Even he knew the kids wouldn't be able to hide the truth. However, he really wished everyone wasn't acting like the man was dead yet.

"Of course he is," said Sirius finally, frowning at his friend, "He's a great dad, right Teddy?"

Teddy looked at the ground, not answering. His hair went a limp mousy brown, that only Victoire seemed to understand. She squeezed his hand under the table and bit her lip. Nobody said anything for a while, and there was a few tears slipping down the cheeks of Hermione, Molly and Ginny. Everyone was silent.

"I'm sorry," said Remus at last, his own throat constricted, "Did- I mean- Was your mother- I know I shouldn't ask- Did your mother ever tell you about me?"

If possible, Teddy shrank lower in his seat. Sirius was muttering curses under his breath as he glanced between Teddy and Remus. Everyone waited, and Teddy felt a squeeze on his hand. He looked around at all the people gathered before him, and shook his head no. Remus frowned, his worst fears starting to come true. He had hoped that Teddy's awe of him wasn't from not recognizing him- but to think he had possibly run away, why else would Teddy's mother not speak of him- well, it wasn't like he didn't hate himself for submitting his son to a fate like his- but he couldn't have really run away? How could he have abandoned the two? He hated himself, and wished he could crawl away, not deserving those wide-eyed looks of awe the boy had been sending him earlier.

"Teddy's mummy and daddy were heroes," said Victoire softly, and their was a collective gasp.

"Who- No- Don't tell me- We can't change the timeline. Do you stay with your mother's family?" said Remus, relieved and disappointed that he was dead, and upset for Teddy.

"I live with Grandma 'Dromeda and Uncle Harry," explained Teddy quietly, and Sirius suddenly stared at Teddy.

"Dromeda? Like Andromeda Tonks?" asked Sirius incredulously, staring at a gob-smacked Remus.

"Tonks?" he gasped, stunned himself.

"So Tonks did have a kid," muttered Bill with a chuckle, staring curiously at Teddy.

"Oh! You two would make a lovely couple," said Molly ecstatically, petting Remus's shoulder gently.

"Tonks?!" asked Remus in shock again, as Sirius began to laugh out loud.

"Moony you dog! I thought there was a reason she seemed to fall into you so much! I just had no idea you liked catching her so much!" chuckled Sirius, bringing the twins and Ron into the snickering.

"I'm an Uncle?" asked Harry incredulously, staring at Teddy, who nodded shyly.

"You're my godfather," said Teddy, feeling a bit odd at having to introduce himself to his godfather.

"I'm godfather?" asked Harry in shock, staring at Teddy, "Am- I mean, I'm a good godfather right?"

"Well, pretty good, but Grandma 'Dromeda said that if you ever try to take me on a broom again she'll make sure you never fly again," said Teddy with a shrug, feeling relieved not to have to discuss his parents deaths anymore, "But that might have been my fault. I told you to do loops and show me how to do a Wronksi Feint."

"Sounds like 'Dromeda alright," chuckled Sirius, as Harry seemed both pleased and shocked by those words.

"What's the war situation?" asked Mad-Eye gruffly, as the tension alleviated from the revelation of Teddy's words.

"It ended three days after I was born," said Teddy with a shrug, and a frown again.

"When were you born?" asked Ron before anyone could stop him.

"April 29th of 1998," said Teddy immediately, which seemed to make everyone relax.

"Only three years," said Arthur with a relieved expression, "Not eleven again."

"So have we given up on maintaining the timeline altogether?" growled Mad-Eye, though he seemed less fierce than before.

"I think we need to ignore it for now," suggested Bill, "At least until we can figure out how to fix the situation."

"I think that's best as well," said Sirius with a nod, "So, which lucky witch shackled me?"

Teddy shifted uncomfortably, not looking at Sirius. Sirius's eyes went wide at the boy's desolate expression, and he suddenly got a very nasty feeling in his stomach. He grimaced, and sat back. He glanced at Harry, who seemed to be making the connection. Nobody wanted to ask the question that was so obviously lingering in the air.

"When did I pass?" asked Sirius heavily.

"1995 I think," muttered Teddy, "S'what it says in the records."

"That's next year," said Sirius, pale-faced.

"No! You- Sirius can't die!" said Harry finally, his face pale as he gazed at Sirius in gob-smacked shock. "He- We can't let you die this time around! It won't happen! Sirius you can't die!"

"Hey now, I'm not too upset, I mean, war's war," said Sirius gently, petting Harry's head as he moved to hug the boy, who clung to Sirius desperately, as though trying to reassert his confidence that Sirius was still alive.

"Might as well rip that bandage off, can you tell us who you've never met?" asked Mad-Eye with a sigh.

"We never met Albus Dumbledore," began Teddy, thinking of the chocolate frog he'd opened earlier, and earning collective gasps from the audience, "Or Professor Snape."

"Thank Merlin for that," muttered Sirius.

"I've never seen you either," said Teddy apologetically, his hair going mousy brown as he stared at the gruff Auror, who was impassive to the news and merely nodded.

"What about Remus and Tonks? When did they pass?" asked Bill, looking disturbed by the imminent deaths of people he was sitting with.

"May 1st 1998," said Victoire softly, as Teddy simply looked at his feet, "The same day a lot of people died in the final battle the bad guys. The same day my Uncle Fred died too."

"Fred?" gasped Molly, as George staggered backwards, like he'd been hit by a brutal Blasting Hex. Almost all the Weasley's gasped in shock, and Victoire began to cry. She had wanted to say it quickly, like ripping off a band-aid or drinking a pepper-up potion. But it wasn't fair. It still hurt too mch. She shuffled in her chair nervously as George grasped Fred around the shoulders. Molly was already at her son, gripping his hands tightly as she stared at her boy in shock. Ron was staring at Fred, white-faced as Hermione gripped his shoulder. Ginny had tossed herself at George, unable to see either of her brothers so heart-broken. George barely noticed, though she seemed to be whispering something, her own tears falling fast. Arthur and Bill were simply left speechless, never being prone to the same explosive emotions as the rest of their family.

"Well, at least I'm still alive right now," said Fred weakly, "Honestly, relax all of you. I'm not dead yet!"

"B- but- Oh my Freddie!" wailed Molly, hugging Fred again as she cried harder, stroking his hair as he gently pet her arms.

"He- We can save him, right?" asked George wildly, and not a single person had the heart to protest the idea. "Right?!"

"George, I'm not dead yet," said Fred, realizing the implications of the silence before George could.

"Of course we will!" said Molly fiercely, "Of course we will."

"Hey, it's alright," said Bill, moving to approach the crying Victoire, and now in tears Teddy Lupin, "We needed to know. Nobody's mad at you two."

To his genuine surprise, Victoire suddenly hurled herself in his arms and he stared open-mouth at the girl, before wrapping his arms around her. He gently pet her blonde head, having a strange warm feeling fill his belly. His suspicions seemed to be confirming themselves, and he felt tremendously guilty as he held the little girl, stroking her soft blonde hair. He didn't have any right to be happy, not during such a grievous situation like this. He gently pet her hair as he extended an arm to hold Teddy's hand, who simply stared helplessly at Bill as he held onto the hand. He glanced over to Lupin, who was watching them. He noticed the clenched fist near Lupin's chest and wondered if he'd interrupted the man.

"Let's take a break," said Mad-Eye finally, "I'll send an owl to Dumbledore."


	4. The Longest Night

**Disclaimer: Potter is JKR's**

_What a long and tiring chapter. I addressed a lot of things that bug me in Time Travel fics like these. One being Fred's easy acceptance of his death. Two being Molly and Arthur's easy acceptance of her son dying and her family being torn apart. Three, the Weasley's forgetting entirely about Percy and just saying he'll come around. You'd think knowing they're going to lose a son wouldn't make them okay with the split their family is facing. If anything, I'd think they'd want to keep their family together as long as possible. But then, maybe I'm nuts. Fourth, I addressed the whole Harry-Voldemort connection people seem to forget. Let's give Harry all the knowledge of the future and ignore the fact that Volie may or may not see it. Just little things. Unfortunately, that means I won't introduce the kiddies to their parents until the next chapter. _

_By the way, I have a busy few weeks ahead, and may not update until April. Just a warning. For my other RTB fic, I'll probably update once in March, but April. Let's see how things go._

* * *

**The Longest Night**

After the undeniably solemn affair that was the interrogations, Mrs. Weasley had ushered the two eldest time travelling children back to the room with the rest of the children. Most had fallen asleep from the excitement, and the few straggling children who were still awake fell asleep when Mrs. Weasley brought up some warm hot chocolate. Victoire and Teddy were harder to put to sleep, but Mrs. Weasley managed to get the two to sleep. It's what she'd done all her life. Take care of her babies.

After the children fell asleep, Mrs. Weasley went to check on her teenage sons. All four boys had collapsed in the twins room, surrounding Fred. Ron and Harry were on one side of the floor, George huddled on the other. It seemed like they were all trying to hold onto Fred, just to make sure he didn't disappear before their eyes. It broke her heart as she stared at her sons, until she saw the central figure shift. Fred was still awake.

"Fred?" asked Mrs. Weasley softly, and the figure stirred, moving to get up off the floor, and shifting the blankets.

"Mum?" asked the voice, so quiet and scared that her heart almost broke again.

"Mmm," moaned one of the other three boys, clutching Fred's shirt to keep him from leaving.

Molly bustled over, and quietly helped Fred out of the clutches of the other three boys. She knew it wasn't helping her boisterous boy at the slightest. If anything, from the way he tensed, she knew he needed some freedom. Some space. She helped Fred out of the room, not at all liking his peaky face, or the way his eyes kept darting to and fro. He didn't even attempt to move from her grasp, until they were in a small seating room.

"Fred?" asked Molly, as she set her son down beside her on the couch.

"I don't want to die," said Fred in an impossibly small voice, that made her heart break, "I don't mum. I- I want to live."

"Oh Fred," said Molly, holding her son as she leaned against his mother for comfort. She held her sobbing son, tears streaming down her own cheeks as she did.

"I- I'm scared mum," he sobbed, as he held her, and she began to pat small circles on his back, not knowing what to say.

For the first time in her life, Molly Weasley was speechless. How was she supposed to comfort her son from a future he had no control over? That she had no idea how to prevent? When had everything fallen to pieces? When had she lost her boys to a war that was supposed to have ended years ago? She held her son until he fell asleep from exhaustion. The sobs that had once coursed through his body were gone. Molly held her son, rearranging him so he was lying with his head on her lap. Her hand stroked his hair, gently brushing the red strands from his face.

"Mollywobbles?" came a voice from the door, and she turned to see her husband. He was staring between her and Fred, before coming to sit beside her on the couch.

"He's sleeping," she said, her voice shaky as she did.

"You aren't," said Arthur quietly, "It's almost two thirty in the morning."

"I had to put them to sleep," she said softly, leaning her head on Arthur's shoulder.

"What about you?" he asked softly.

"Could you sleep tonight?" she asked back, and he sighed as he leaned back into the small couch, far too small for a teenage boy and his two parents to share like this.

"He'd only be twenty one," choked Arthur, "That's when we had Charlie!"

"When did things get like this?!" asked Molly furiously, tears again slipping down her face, "When did I start losing my boys, Arthur?! First Percy, now Fred?!"

"I don't know," said Arthur, sounding broken himself, "I don't know when life became- this."

"Where's Bill?" asked Molly quietly, looking to Arthur quietly.

"He wrote to Charlie a coded message to come home," said Arthur with a sigh, "Then he joined Remus, Sirius and I for a nightcap."

"I doubt it was a nightcap," said Molly with a shake of her head, before glancing at Arthur's tired face. He seemed much older in the mere hours that had transpired tonight. "Catch me up."

"It started when you brought us the hot chocolate," confessed Arthur, "Remus couldn't relax. The revelation of Teddy had him uneasy, and Sirius was swearing his lungs off about Remus not getting a chance at happiness, Fred dying, You-Know-Who and his own death. When no one was showing any signs of relaxing, he broke out a bottle of Firewhiskey and added a shot to the hot chocolate. After the cups were empty, he refilled them with Firewhiskey. Somewhere the chocolate was lost and the Firewhiskey was pure."

"I would say you shouldn't be drinking on a work night, but I can't really blame you," said Molly softly.

"Mad-Eye owled Dumbledore, before heading up to see him. No one has said anything to Tonks yet either," continued Arthur, as Molly scowled.

"Someone needs to tell Tonks!" she said angrily, "It's her son! Her future! And speaking of futures, I've made up my mind."

"How so?" asked Arthur, though he had a similar fierce glint in his own eyes.

"I don't care what Dumbledore says. I'm saving this family Arthur," she said in a furious determination, "I'll save them all, my children and grandchildren!"

After her declaration, the room was silent. Molly's brown eyes were blazing as she stared at her husband. His blue eyes looked over his wife carefully, as his hand continued to stroke her hair. She leaned her head against his head, and for the first time, felt peace returning to her body. She stared into Arthur's pensive eyes, and cocked an eyebrow, silently asking him for his thoughts.

"You're not doing it alone," said Arthur, taking her hand in his, "We're saving this family, Mollywobbles."

"Then let's start now," she said, as she gently got her wand out and began to levitate Fred's sleeping body.

"After we put Fred back to bed, right?" asked Arthur with a conspiratorial grin, the first of the night.

"I'm putting all my sons to bed tonight, war be damned," said Molly fiercely, and Arthur chuckled softly as he followed his wife to the bedroom.

* * *

Once Fred was carefully tucked back between the other three boys, who miraculously hadn't awoken, Molly and Arthur slipped out of Grimmauld Place and headed to London. It was far too late in the night for anyone to really notice, but they had a determination about them. Molly had Percy's address, and that's all the two really needed. Arthur was more apprehensive than Molly, but as he thought of Fred's mortality, his determination strengthened. As he walked with Molly to the apartment steps leading up to Percy's tiny flat in Diagon Alley.

"Do you remember what I promised you when Bill was born?" he asked conversationally, though his throat constricted, betraying his emotions.

"You promised me you'd make sure our family was always happy," replied Molly, and he knew she was smiling a soft, sad smile. It was replaced by a sob in her throat as she asked, "Do you remember what I promised you?"

"That you'd make sure our family was always protected," replied Arthur, and he took her hand and squeezed it, reminding her that she wasn't alone.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she reached the door that had been shut in her face just over ten days ago.

"I'm sorry too," he replied, as he gathered himself, and knocked roughly on the door.

"He's probably asleep," said Molly, as Arthur kept knocking on the door. Molly had her wand out and had a silencing spell in the hallways, to avoid waking anyone else up.

About ten minutes of knocking passed before they heard shuffling on the other side of the door. They could tell whoever it was was moving groggily about. They heard the man behind the door shuffling, until the knob shook slightly. Molly waited, her heart hammering in her chest, until the door swung open to reveal a dishevelled looking Percy Weasley. His jaw dropped at seeing his parents, his glasses sitting crookedly on his nose. His pajamas were in a disarray, and a red robe had been pulled over them in a rush. His hair looked as though it had been patted down with water, and overall, he looked tired. Molly noted that he was thinner. Probably wasn't eating too well.

"Can we come in?" asked Arthur pleasantly, as though he did this every day, and Molly almost laughed. Trust Arthur to act so natural in such an absurd situation. He really was a magnitude of calm when riled.

"Mother?! Father!?" asked Percy in utter shock, staring at the two. His eyes narrowed, but Arthur stepped right past Percy, not about to be turned away. Molly followed, but not before she hugged Percy around his waist.

The apartment was rather small. It was just a studio apartment, with a kitchenette that looked untouched. To Molly's displeasure, she noted several cartons of take-away food littering the counters. Worse still, was the fact that even if Percy was eating a meal from them every day, that still meant he was only eating one meal per day. That was nothing compared to the documents tossed around the counter, the bed area, where Percy must have been sprawled just hours ago. The bathroom door was slightly open, and she noted it looked barely used.

"You've settled in well, I see?" asked Arthur, taking a seat the unmade bed.

"What are the both of you doing here at this hour?!" asked Percy, though his voice had a note of worry that made Molly proud, "Tomorrow's a work day!"

"Yes, well, some things are more important than work, Percy," said Molly softly, as she brought her son to the bed. She sat down beside Arthur, but Percy stubbornly chose to sat on a stool across them instead.

"Have you any idea what the time is?!" asked Percy in shock, still trying to piece together what his parents were doing here.

"We're going home Percy," said Arthur matter-of-factly, "This family has too much to lose and nothing to gain by being split apart."

"I- I've made up my mind! I don't get any respect in that house!" hissed Percy, which almost made Molly sob again. Almost. She couldn't quite cry right now. Her tears had been used on Fred.

"Percy," said Molly softly, "Your father and I have decided that we don't want to waste our time on mindless quarrels. We want to be a family, a complete family, for as long as we can."

"Well, I have no interest in being a part of the family!" said Percy scathingly, more awake now as he sat their and scowled at his parents.

"Fred- Fred will die in three years Percy," said Arthur softly, "Unless something changes."

The words hung in the air between parents and son. The dark room was barely lit. Only the light from the moon and streetlamps peered in through a tiny window, illuminating Percy's face as his eyes widened tremendously at those words. His haw dropped, and the anger on his face vanished. Neither parent said a word as Percy processed the information he had just received. Molly, on the other hand, had removed a handkerchief as she teared up at the thought of her precious baby boy's mortality.

"H- How is- That's not true!" gasped Percy finally, trying to catch his breath. "He can't be- is it an illness? Does he need- Must be a cure!- How?!"

Molly and Arthur exchanged looks, until finally Molly sighed and decided to continue. They were going to save their family, even if their family didn't want to be saved. She gazed mournfully at Percy. How was her logical and rational son going to react to the most irrational and illogical explanation they could give them?

"What do you know about time travel, son?" asked Arthur quietly.

"What- Time travel? How does that have anything to do with Fred!?" demanded Percy impatiently, his concern for his brother warming Molly's heart.

"Everything," said Arthur, as he began to explain the events of the night. Percy was silent throughout the story, his eyes widening fractionally each sentence Arthur spoke, until they looked like they very well might just bulge from his sockets.

"That- But- It's not plausible!" sputtered Percy, "You're lying to me!"

"Why would we lie?" asked Molly sternly, "Think Percy. Why would your father and I _ever_ lie to you?"

The words hung in the air, and Percy was suddenly caught. Tired, alone, and shell-shocked, he couldn't find himself able to answer. Because why would his parents make up such a cock and bull story at such an ungodly hour of night? Why would they go to all these lengths to try and bring him home after a stretch of silence? He'd waited for days for his father to come, to apologize, to bring him home. But nothing had happened. His mother had come, told him she was proud of him, how she loved him and wanted him home. But his father had not said a word. Not a single word.

But here he was. Telling him Fred was going to die. That his grandchildren were back at home. That he wanted Percy to come home so that he could have his family all together. Not spread apart like this. Apparently Charlie would be on his way as well. He didn't know what to say to that. Instead, he kept staring at his parents, struggling to find an explanation. Find something to make this all go away so he could live in stubborn solitude until his father acknowledged him. Until his father said he was really proud of Percy. But instead, he got this crushing blow to the gut.

"I- I need some sleep, can we talk in the morning?" he asked, shaking his head as though this was all a dream.

"But Percy!" cried his mother, her intentions to bring him home not missed by Percy nor his father.

"Why don't you head home tonight Molly? I'll stay with Percy, help him wrap himself around the situation," said Arthur with a nod, and he noted the silent exchange that passed between the two.

"Oh for heavens sake! Fine then, good night Percy," said his mother, kissing his cheek, before saying her goodbyes to his father, and apparating away.

"Shall we get some sleep, son?" asked Arthur with a yawn, lifting his wand and converting the stool Percy was seated in, into a nice luxurious arm chair. Percy merely dimly nodded, but as he nodded to his father to take the bed, he leaned into the arm chair. The night hours passed in silence. He knew his father wasn't asleep. Percy simply sat in the chair, trying to find the right words to say.

His father had come for him, him! He'd chosen to stay back, without his mother nudging him. He'd wanted to be with Percy. It made Percy uneasy. He'd spent years chasing for the approval of his father. He'd become Prefect and Headboy, and his father had been proud, but it wasn't like when Bill was accepted to train as a Curse Breaker. He didn't clap Percy on the back. Or when Charlie got accepted into the ambitious Romanian dragon-care apprenticeship program. But he was here for Percy. Albeit the situation wasn't exactly normal- but he was here! For him! But what about his brothers? And Ginny? They'd never liked him as much as Bill and Charlie. He didn't doubt they hated him at the very least.

"They won't want me to come back," said Percy softly to his father, "It's better-

"They want you back," said Arthur quietly, "I want you back, you mother does. So do your brothers and sister."

"I said horrible things to you that day," said Percy, his voice strained, "I- I never- I mean- I wanted-

"I know," said Arthur softly, but Percy had to continue.

"I love you dad," said Percy quietly, "I'm sorry. I just- I wanted you to be proud."

"I'll always be proud of you," said Arthur softly, "As long as you're doing something you love, I'll be proud of you. As long as you stick by your beliefs."

"I'm sorry dad," said Percy, his throat constricting and his eyes getting slightly wet.

"I'm sorry too, Percy," said Arthur, and with that, the two fell into a blissful silence.

* * *

It was about six in the morning when Molly heard someone shuffling in the kitchen. She'd heard someone swearing in the kitchen as she headed down to make herself some tea. The night had been a sleepless one for her. Nothing could keep her from the familiar nightmares. All she saw this time, however, was Fred. And when she woke up and peered on her son's body, she couldn't help herself from shuddering as she wondered how long he'd stay like that. Stay whole and alive. It was driving her mad. She pushed the thought aside as she entered the kitchen.

Sirius was roaming the kitchen, staring into a brassy spoon as his wand attempted to chop away at a straggly, knotted piece of hair. She watched him in a bizarre fascination. In all the time she'd spent with Sirius Black, never once had he actually attempted to groom himself into a decent looking man. Mostly he moped, glared and complained. Not that she didn't blame him for being upset. But really! He wasn't a child! And he wasn't even making an effort to try and clean himself up!

"Sirius?!" she asked incredulously, staring at him. He jumped, and dropped the wand he was holding.

"Blast! Molly- er-

"Are you- Are you cutting your hair?" she asked timidly, moving over and picking up the fallen wand as the convict stared at her with wide blue eyes.

"Er- well, the kids were pretty scared, and I mean- I scare normal people, imagine kids seeing me like this! It's- I mean- they're not old enough to get I'm not evil, and I was pretty rough-

"Do you want some help?" asked Molly, causing Sirius to stare at her in surprise.

"No- I wouldn't want-

"Nonsense! I had seven kids! And I cut all of their hair, now sit down," she said firmly, pulling a stool over and nodding to him.

"It's fine, I should probably get this place clean- I mean- I got rid of Kreacher, confined him to the attic, it's fine Molly!" said Sirius, looking highly embarrassed at being caught in this situation.

"Take a seat, Sirius. It won't take more than a minute, and despite what Bill may say, I can cut hair at a length besides shaving it off!" she said, smiling at her oldest son's familiar gripes.

Sirius settled into the stool, glancing backwards at Molly carefully as she twisted his head. He could feel her hand as she parted his hair, gently snipping away at the strands. It was silent as the two sat in the kitchen. He hard Molly give a soft chuckle, and he was surprised. It was the first time he'd heard Molly laugh when he was around.

"Er- What's so funny?" asked Sirius in surprise, looking down as Molly's gentle hand nudged his head down.

"You've never cut your hair before, have you? The cut reminds me of when Charlie tried to do his hair so he'd look respectable for his first interview with the Romanians. He looked horrifying, and I had to fix it in ten minutes!"

Sirius chuckled, having heard of Charlie from Bill, "At least you got to me before I made a mess of it."

"I'm sorry," she said softly, "That- you know, how things end."

"I am too," he said heavily, "I'm just glad I get a chance to meet Harry's future, you know? To know he survived."

"I am too," she said softly, as she brushed Sirius's hair, gently cutting the edges straight.

"I just- I wish it was different. I mean- Remus just got a chance at this family, and Harry's going to get a normal life, and-

"And they all deserve to have their families with them, their entire family," she said, and Sirius raised his own eyebrow. He was surprised at Molly's sympathy for him, and wasn't sure if she was acknowledging his situation.

"Mad-Eye said Dumbledore was coming by soon," he said, wanting to change the awkward topic.

"Is that so? I suppose he would," said Molly, and he could hear a bit of worry in her voice.

"Where's Arthur? I supposed he would be up with you," said Sirius, curiosity arising in him. He felt Molly pause, before she continued trimming his hair.

"He's with Percy," said Molly after a silence. Sirius's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything.

"I see. Is he- I mean-

"I don't know. Arthur sent me away before I could know, but he didn't come back," said Molly, sounding hopeful. Sirius wasn't too sure about Percy Weasley. He hadn't heard many good things so far at the least.

"I hope he comes back with Arthur," said Sirius sincerely. He'd seen the pain both Weasley's had gone through. He didn't think they deserved that. Not people so honest and open. Even if Molly was a pain most of the times.

"I do too," said Molly quietly.

They heard someone approaching, and turned to see Dumbledore in the doorway. He was standing in bright purple robes, decorated with yellow suns. His blue eyes twinkled at the two, as he sat with his hands folded together before him. Sirius grit his teeth. He didn't like the fact that Dumbledore had to see him like this, but Molly just kept on snipping. He could feel her hand shake in surprise, and hoped that didn't mean the worst for him.

"There, I'm done Sirius," she said hastily, before rushing to Dumbledore and greeting him, "Hello Professor! It's rather early, what can we do for you?"

"Please, don't worry Molly, I'm just here to check on our time travelling kids and on Harry," said Dumbledore with a nod.

"The children are asleep," said Molly, and for the first time, Sirius saw her staring at Dumbledore firmly in her ready to argue stance, "And won't be ready to see anyone until at least after breakfast. Harry is as well."

"That's quite fine, I was hoping to see Harry first, if you don't mind. It's urgent," said Dumbledore.

Sirius scowled, not liking the decisions being made without him. Standing up, he turned to Dumbledore as he ran a hand through his now shorter hair. Firmly, he glanced at Dumbledore and stood beside Molly as he politely asked, "What for?"

"I would like to discuss an important matter about his own safety, and that of the children. Sirius, perhaps you could accompany me in waking him?" asked Dumbledore, causing Molly to scowl but she said nothing upon hearing the word safety.

"Follow me," said Sirius, as Molly turned back to the kitchen and began hunting down the ingredients for breakfast.

As the two men moved through the grim and dirty house, Dumbledore glanced around. Sirius knew he'd never been too far in, and he felt diminished as Dumbledore stared at the beheaded elf heads on the wall, and the dark tapestries and worn carpeting on the floors. He didn't say anything as the two reached the room the boys were asleep in. Instead, he waited outside as Sirius entered and shook Harry awake. The teenager looked confusedly at Sirius, but absently followed him outside of the room, his hair sticking up all over the place as he did.

"Professor Dumbledore," said Harry, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"Good morning Harry," said Dumbledore cheerfully, "Most sorry I had to wake you up at such an early hour, but I felt we must talk. Please, come with me."

"Er, okay," said Harry, and then he frowned as he realized Professor Dumbledore had been starring above his head. He looked backwards, but didn't see anything, and then realized Dumbledore was already walking ahead. Harry rushed to catch up, as he sent a quizzical look to Sirius, who merely shrugged in response.

"Did you cut your hair?" asked Harry in mild surprise to Sirius, who nodded before glancing in a mirror at his shorter, neater hair that fell in waves. It was cropped close to his head, and made him look much younger than the straggly long hair. He hated to admit he actually liked the new look.

"Well Harry, please take a seat," said Dumbledore, nodding to the empty sitting room.

"Is something the matter, sir?" asked Harry, as Dumbledore stood before him, his eyes still planted above Harry's head. Sirius sat down beside Harry, looking at Dumbledore with narrowed eyes.

"Harry, I'm afraid I will have to be frank in this matter. As you know, Voldemort's resurrection means that things will be harder on you. However, with the scar you have, I'm afraid Voldemort is bonded to you," began Dumbledore.

"He's what?!" asked Harry in shock, staring at Dumbledore in surprise.

"I fear that Voldemort can manipulate the things you see, share visions and sights with you," said Dumbledore, looking aged as he said this, a sadness on his face.

"But- how?" asked Sirius, concerned as he stared at Dumbledore.

"It's a matter of the connection from the Killing Curse," said Dumbledore, "And for that reason, I was hoping to avoid putting Harry in a situation where he'd have information that Voldemort could use against him. Since we have no indications whether this could be true or not, or whether Voldemort is even aware, I was content with letting Harry not have to worry about this."

"But he can enter my mind," said Harry bluntly, his eyes wide and he looked panicky as Dumbledore spoke to him. It was clear what Harry was thinking. He thought he was a threat.

"Possibly," said Dumbledore with a nod, "But for now, we don't know. As long as Voldemort was unaware, we were fine. However, with the introductions of the time travellers, I fear what Voldemort may do if he knows they exist."

"So- I shouldn't go near them?" asked Harry, his heart sinking as he realized what a threat he was to the children.

"That is one option," said Dumbledore with a nod, but his eyes twinkled as he stared past the depressed Harry, "However, the fact is that you already know about them, and in order to ensure the absolute safety, you would require to have your memory erased and sent back to Privet Drive until the summer end."

Both Harry and Sirius looked horrified at the idea. Harry's mind was racing. He knew there was no way he could put those children in a situation where they could be in danger thanks to him, but at the same time, he didn't want to go. He swallowed heavily, his eyes on the ground as the decision came to him.

"I'll go," he said softly, as Sirius whirled his head around in horror.

"Like hell he will! There has to be a better plan Dumbledore! We can't send him back to those monsters!" growled Sirius, jumping to his feet in anger.

"Well, there is a plan B, so to speak," said Dumbledore, gently placing a hand on the depressed Harry's shoulder.

"There is?" asked Harry in surprise, until he saw the worry in Dumbledore's face.

"It's a last resort option. I'd prefer not having to use it, but it's an immediate fix. Harry will need to learn Occlumency to occlude Voldemort from his thoughts. However, Occlumency is not a skill to be learnt overnight, and to fight off a Legilimens as skilled as Voldemort, well, he'll need time. Harry can learn Occlumency here, but until he learns the skill, he will need a barrier erected in his mind. I know a spell which can do such a thing, but it's very draining. Harry, I'm afraid if I cast this spell, you'll be tired very often, probably requiring a nap in the afternoons, and you won't be able to move as you'd like. Your body will be entirely focused on this shield," said Dumbledore, looking uneasy about the idea, "Because it would drain you so, I was hoping we'd never come to using this spell."

"Er- What's Occlumency?" asked Harry, confused.

"It's a way of shielding your mind from being penetrated by a Legilimens, someone who can force their way into your head and see or even manipulate your thoughts," explained Dumbledore, "Occlumency is the safest and best method to shield yourself against a Legilimens. This shield is a good method, but not a healthy method with the exhaustion that accompanies it."

"He'd rather be tired than at the Dursleys!" said Sirius hotly, before glancing at Harry, who was nodding in agreement with Sirius.

"Are you sure you'd prefer this option?" asked Dumbledore, looking at Harry's shoulder now.

"Yes sir," said Harry with a nod, glad he wouldn't have to leave. He wasn't looking forward to the exhaustion Dumbledore claimed he'd face, but at least he wouldn't have to worry about Voldemort being inside his head!

"Very well, I shall cast it, but you'll probably fall asleep once I do, as your energy goes to making the shield," said Dumbledore, removing his wand. The latin words sprung from his mouth in a soft murmur as he began to wave his wand. Runes erected into the air and Harry stared at them in mesmerized amazement.

"_Erigite scutum mentali protectionem. Facere nunc. Virtute utitur corpore. Erigite scutum_!" he chanted, and then everything went black for Harry as he felt the runes hit his body. Sirius caught the boy just in time as he passed out.

"Leave him to sleep Sirius," said Dumbledore, placing a hand on the man's shoulder, "He'll need at least an hour nap to gather himself. Come, let us make this home more child friendly instead."

"Yeah- what?" asked Sirius, as he lay Harry on the couch, and followed Dumbledore outside.

Inside the sitting room, Harry Potter was in a deep slumber. His body was generating a magical protection he had no idea he could maintain. Little by little, a wall was erecting between his soul and the other soul residing within him. He snored peacefully, for the first time since he was born, he was alone in his mind. He was just Harry.


	5. The Morning We Awoke

**Disclaimer: The usual stuff, belongs to JKr, you know the drill.**

**Anyway, so lot's to say, not lots of time. First off, I'm back. I'm slow. It sucks. Just finished Young Justice. Oh Wally! I refuse to believe he's dead. He's alive, the energy siphoned through him made him- I don't know. This is physics stuff. Ugh. Physics. Summer school. Bleh. But I will churn out a YJ fanfic**

**If anyone knows a good Beta, I'm looking for one. I want someone who's good with grammar mostly, just be a second pair of eyes. My self-editing job is not cutting it. For both stories of mine- Beta. Also, I know some Betas like to provide ideas and feedback, which I'd love, but at the same time, I'm looking for someone who knows I won't use the ideas to appease them. And who won't care if I don't use them. A flexible schedule is nice, but I'm not one for deadlines. At most I can give you a day or two's notice. I'd work it with a trial basis, one chapter you edit, and if I think we mesh, I'll ask you on. If I think we're better separately, well, don't be offended, I'm a drama queen. **

**Third, despite this chapter being the longest I've written, I spliced it in half because I was running out of energy to complete it. The next part will probably be up quicker because it's half-written, but at the same time, don't quote me on that. **

* * *

**The Morning We Awoke**

"Is he awake yet?" came a whiny voice that Harry recognized as his best friend's. He tried to tune it out by rolling over. He'd never been so tired before. Not like this. His entire body seemed to ache. He just wanted to lay in bed and not move for hours. However, he heard a second voice, of a girl that was not quite a friend yet, and realized he had an audience.

"Ron! Leave him alone, he's tired!" said the voice of Ginny Weasley, and Harry shuffled to turn over, surprised at the amount of effort it took him.

He opened his eyes groggily to see the blurred faces of the twins, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all staring curiously down at him. He blinked once, the urge to keep his eyes shut overpowering him before he opened them again. He began to shift, trying to get up on his elbows. It was exhausting, moving to sit up. He felt like the air around him was oil, making it slick and hard to maneuver through. He reached for his glasses, but Hermione already handed them to him, looking worried as he put them on and the blurry red headed faces became sharp and clear.

He could now make out the distraught expression on George's face, and the equally low expression on Fred's. It was a reminder of last night. He turned to see the somewhat scared face of Ronald Weasley, with the disgruntled expression on Ginny's face beside him. He saw Hermione sitting beside him, looking worriedly at him, and he waved her away for a second, trying to assuage her worries.

"What's going on?" asked Harry, as he threw his legs over the bed, and then realized he was only wearing his boxers before both Ginny and Hermione. Hermione didn't even flinch, which didn't bother Harry. She was Hermione after all. But Ginny turned away, her cheeks pink. Which only served to embarrass Harry.

"Mum said we can't meet the kids until you woke up, so we came to wake you up mate," said Ron, apparently unaware of Harry's embarrassment.

"Oh," said Harry, suddenly embarrassed for other reasons as he thought about the three kids he was sure were his. Swallowing heavily, he glanced away and reached for some jeans. He tugged them on and then turned to his friends, once again tired as he sat down with a thump on the bed. He turned to his friends, who were all watching him expectantly, before saying, "Let's go then, I guess."

"Are you sure?" asked Hermione with a frown, "You seem tired, if you want to rest-

"No, I'll just brush my teeth," said Harry, "And I'll meet you downstairs then."

"Ah- Harry-

But Harry stood up stubbornly and walked as fast as he could to the bathroom. Each step was laborious, and by the time he reached, he was out of breath. It took several glasses of water to regain his energy. He brushed his teeth slower than normal, before washing his face. When he looked in the mirror, he felt different somehow. Less anger was in his body. He was exhausted. He just wanted to sit down. He sighed as he tried to flatten his hair, but it seemed impossible. Shrugging he opened the bathroom door, only to be met with the oddest site.

In his rush to escape to the bathroom, he hadn't noticed the decor around him had changed. His observation skills were shoddy. He stared at the now whitewashed walls, which were missing elf-heads and portraits. The once grimy floor rugs were clean and a plush red. He walked in the hallways, feeling lost before he ran into the second strangest site.

Molly Weasley and Sirius Black were walking together up the steps, laughing as they did. Sirius still looked pale and thin, but his straggly black hair had been cut to his shoulders, and fell in a healthier wave. His eyes were brighter as Molly regaled him with some story about the Weasley children. Harry just stood slack jawed, unsure where he was. Even the stairs Molly and Sirius walked up seemed brand new, with red plush rugs, and black wooden railings, all round in shape to be as child safe as possible.

"Harry! How are you feeling?" asked Mrs. Weasley, as both adults stared at him in concern.

"Fine," said Harry, looking curiously between the two.

"You sure?" asked Sirius, his blue eyes sharp with concern, "Do you need help getting downstairs? Everyone's in the living room."

"I'll be fine," said Harry, a twinge of annoyance as he began to walk down the stairs. He held the railing tightly, his teeth gritted as he finally reached the bottom. The walk had been long and hard. He stared at the steps, apprehensive as he realized he'd have to make his way back up. Sirius and Mrs. Weasley were long gone already.

Shaking his head, he walked past into the living room. Again he was met by surprises. The rugs were still red, the walls still white. The fireplace was now clean and the stone was cleaned and sparkled. The furniture looked suspiciously like Hogwarts furniture, with red sofas that seemed to come out of the common room of Gryffindor tower. He saw a blue couch that vaguely resembled those of Gryffindor common room, but with a more straight edge to it. He realized with a shock it must have come from Ravenclaw's Tower. A few yellow arm chairs were tossed around as well. The tables were all the same black furniture as the railing, and he wondered absently if they'd come from Slytherin or Hufflepuff, since he remembered the black furniture in the Slytherin common room.

Weirdest of all was Percy's presence beside Mr. Weasley, on a blue couch. They seemed to be talking in hushed tones about something that Harry had no precise idea about. He took a seat beside Ron, who was more than willing to fill him in after handing him two slices of bread with jam smeared across them, and an omelette wrapped in slices of ham. Harry scarfed them down, excited to eat.

"Percy got here this morning," said Ron quietly, glancing apprehensively at his brother, "Dad brought him. The twins weren't too worried about him, took him back easily! But I bet they have a prank in the works. I guess I forgive him too, well, once he's been pranked. Weirdest is that he's been following dad around instead of mum. Bill says not to worry about it."

"Oh," said Harry, and then he glanced at Ron again, who nodded and continued, "Apparently he believes us. Wants to meet the kids. Joining the Order and all that."

"The house?" asked Harry, glancing at the ceiling, which was impressively whitewashed as well.

"Dumbledore arrived this morning with an army of house elves. Hermione was madder than anything, but they had the place new and sparkly in two hours, tops. Dobby's around here somewhere by the way. Dumbledore left him here to help out. Bloody excited little elf. He's been running around like a nut. Kreacher's apparently too old to do anything, so Sirius gave him a bunch of the black heirlooms and locked him in the basement. Told him to keep it safe and stay out of the way. Kreacher burst into tears and said Sirius was almost worth the name of Black. The portrait's with Kreacher too," said Ron with a shrug.

"That's- impressive," said Harry in surprise, "Why didn't he do this earlier?"

"Apparently it wasn't an urgent thing, and he didn't want to expose the Hogwart's house elves to this. But apparently they're bound to silence," explained Ron, before adding in a lower tone, "I think Dumbledore's obliviating them all anyways."

"Oh," said Harry with a nod, before he continued to munch on the ham and egg in his hand.

* * *

Sirius and Molly headed upstairs, Sirius bouncing on the balls of his feet as he did. This would be his first time meeting the children. He glanced over at Molly, relieved she'd agreed to let him come upstairs and meet the children. Not that he hadn't been running after her all day. He'd helped Molly with all the chores, trying to appease her. He'd even been semi-nice to Kreacher, but he much preferred the bubbly Dobby elf.

"In here," said Molly quietly, nodding to the master bedroom.

Buckbeak had been moved out by Dumbledore and taken back to Hogwarts to be with his herd. The master bedroom had been cleaned thoroughly, twice. Then the furniture moved out and replaced with toys, books and bunk beds, making it a large dorm room for the children. Unlike the whitewashed walls of the rest of the house, the room was painted with red and, blue, yellow and green. The ceiling resembled the sky in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The children were scattered around the room, giggling and playing games pleasantly. They had been fairly quiet all day, mostly due to fear of their new surroundings, and Molly's pleasantness. She really slid into the grandmotherly role well.

Upon their entrance, the entire room went quiet. A few of the smaller children, including mini-Harry, brown-haired Ron, and a black-haired toddler rushed behind Molly. The others stayed where they were, staring curiously at the new man. Three little five or six-year old boys were nudging each other, and pointing at him excitedly. Sirius felt self-conscious, and almost blushed at this.

"Sirius!" said Teddy excitedly, moving to meet him. His blue hair started changing, and it soon mimicked Sirius's black waves. The man stared at the twelve year old boy in surprise, and felt relief as the kid broke the silent babble.

"Hey Teddy," said Sirius, rubbing the kid's head, "Slept well?"

"Yeah, but Grandma Weasley always makes the best hot chocolate, I always go to sleep when she gives me her bed-time hot chocolate," said Teddy, and Sirius grinned as the kid tilted his head back to the three troublemakers. "Aren't you going to say hello to Sirius?"

"But he's dead," blurted out a mini-red-haired Hermione, staring at him with big blue eyes and a shocked expression.

"Well, we're in a place where he isn't dead," said Teddy, and the children seemed to nod along.

"How?" asked Mini-Hermione.

"Magic," said Victoire, moving over to Sirius and giving him an uneasy smile. Her hair was done in two pig-tails today, and Sirius felt envious of whoever had such a cute kid. He felt a pang of regret, wishing it had been himself.

"Oh," said Mini-Hermione, apparently okay with this explanation.

"We're going down to meet your parents now," said Molly cheerfully, "Uncle Charlie isn't here yet, and I don't believe many of your mummies are here, but the daddies are! They just look like their younger selves. And they don't know you all yet. Remember? We discussed the time travel?"

"Yeah," chorused around the room. To Sirius's disappointment, mini-Harry clung to Molly as she lifted the black-haired girl and a red-headed toddler who looked nothing like a Weasley to him.

"Up," came a commanding voice, with a tug on his pant leg. He turned to come face to face with a little version of Ginny staring at him, but with a slightly different eyebrow set and messier hair.

"Alright ma'am," said Sirius, lifting her up. She popped a thumb into her mouth as she stared at him with intelligent brown eyes, scrutinizing him carefully.

"I'm James!" Came a voice, and Sirius turned in surprise to see a red headed boy beside him, staring up with brown eyes identical to the ones of the girl in his arms.

"Nice to meet you James," said Sirius, a warm feeling as he recognized the kid's facial structure as that of his namesake.

"James Sirius," said the boy more urgently. Sirius stopped breathing for a second, before bending down so that his blue eyes were level to the boy. He searched the boy's face intently, and the kid returned the stare. Sirius broke into a grin then, as he wrapped an arm around the tiny boy, who froze before returning the hug.

"Hello James Sirius," he said quietly, "How have you been?"

"I'm good," said the kid, as Sirius backed away. He looked oddly embarrassed, before slipping a tiny hand into his.

"I'm Sirius Black, you're daddy's godfather," he said quietly.

"I know," said the kid, staring up at him curiously. "Are you really an Animagus?"

"Yeah, yes I am," said Sirius with a grin, as he Molly gave him a warm smile and nodded to the door. Teddy had a small brown-haired boy in his arms and was walking behind Molly. He other children were shuffling out in a crowd behind Molly.

"Can you teach me too? I want to be a black deer!" Said the kid excitedly, as the two walked outside. Sirius bit back a whoop of joy, realizing where the kid had gotten the idea from. Little Ginny remained quiet in his arms as they walked.

"Tell you what, ask me when you get a wand, alright kid?" Promised Sirius, as James nodded solemnly to the man. With that, Sirius was bombarded with a flood of questions on how to become an Animagus. And Sirius had never been happier to answer.

* * *

As the kids traipsed into the room, everyone sat up at attention. Everyone had moved to couches on one side of the room. Remus was sitting beside Bill, and gave Teddy a nervous wave. Hermione was sitting on the arm of the chair beside him, and he felt her squeeze his shoulder. Remus glanced at the wooden Harry and Ron, both beside a twin who was equally frozen. However, Fred seemed to be determinedly staring through the crowd of heads. Ginny had taken refuge with her father, and Percy had sucked in a large gulp of air. Arthur was chuckling softly, though apprehension was evident in his voice.

Remus turned back to the crowd. They had all fallen silent and were swarming Molly, staring curiously at the crowd. He recieved several stares, as did Bill to his surprise. The children were openly gawking at the twins. His eyes trailed over to the little Harry, and he smiled a bit broader. The child holding Sirius's hand surprised him, and he looked at the thrilled expression on the man'd face. As though he was the kid's father- or something else. Grandmother- like Molly. Remus glanced curiously at the boy, and then at Harry. Sirius saw and nodded, and Remus smiled in a self-satisfied way.

"Teddy, would you like to introduce everyone from the past to your cousins?" Asked Molly to the boy- his son.

"Er, sure Grandma Weasley," said Teddy with a nod. "Everyone that's Uncle Fred, beside Uncle Harry."

An excited gasp ran through the crowd, as Fred grinned for the first time today. Teddy continued, introducing Harry and Ron and George, who earned a few confused stares. Percy and Ginny were easily introduced with Arthur.

"That's Uncle Bill-

"He doesn't look like him," said a blonde Percy-like girl.

"He used to look like that before being mauled by a werewolf," explained a cheery red-headed girl, who smiled widely at Bill, as Molly's jaw dropped with everyone else's. Bill, to his credit, only had his eyes widen in surprise.

"He was what?!" gasped Molly, grasping on to a chair from shock.

"Yeah! One day I'm going to fight a werewolf too! Not like Teddy's daddy, I'm going to fight a big scary one and-

"No! I forbid you from fighting a werewolf!" said Molly, pale as she clutched the child's shoulders, who merely pouted. She opened her mouth to argue further, but was cut off.

"That's my dad," continued Teddy, trying to dissuade the tension in the room, as the children now focused all their attention on him. Remus flushed in shock at the stares.

"But Teddy, I thought your daddy was with my gramma and grampa?" Said the mini-Harry, before blushing and digging into Molly's leg.

"Not in this world," said Teddy cheerfully.

"Wow! You look like him!" Said blonde-Percy girl, staring at him curiously.

Teddy's hair went red, and Remus felt pride well up inside him. Teddy muttered a thanks before finishing the introduction with Hermione. He saw a little-red headed girl stare at Hermione in awe. He privately chuckled to himself, suddenly relieved he'd met Teddy already, as he felt Hermione tense and crane her neck to spot little copies of herself in the crowd.

"Well, let's introduce ourselves!" Said Molly excitedly.

Immediately the crowd of children broke into a babble, all trying to get the attention as they waved and shouted their names and ages and the names of their favorite books or toys or adventures. A smile broke out over the faces of the past group, before Molly called out for silence over the children. They all went quiet, looking up curiously at her.

"One at a time then," said Mrs. Weasley with a chuckle, "Oldest to youngest then, since Teddy went first. Victoire hon, you already know everyone, but I'm sure you can go ahead."

"Alright," said Victoire nervously, as she stepped out of the crowd and waved shyly to everyone. "What should I say gran?"

"Just tell us your name, your age, your parents names, and anything else you want to say," said Molly sweetly, patting the blonde's head.

"Okay," said the girl with a beaming smile, and Remus couldn't help but find himself charmed as well. But his eyes were drawn away as his son, Teddy, slipped from the crowd and came over to sit beside him. Hermione shuffled over to an empty arm chair, as Teddy nervously shuffled before him. Feeling just as shy as the boy, Remus cleared his throat, and pet the arm of the chair. Teddy scuffled atop it, sitting right near him. They weren't quite touching, but Remus caught Teddy looking at him, and he could feel the nervous tension in the air.

As he was settled, Remus tuned into Victoire's introduction, as she said, "And I'm ten and a half years old! My parents are Bill and Fleur Weasley-

"Wait- What?!" cried out the twins in shock, staring at Bill in amazement, as Bill raised an eyebrow in surprise himself.

"I guess I made the right decision to ask her to dinner than," murmured Bill quietly, and Remus chuckled fondly at the comment.

"Fleur- She's the woman from the Tournament, isn't she?" asked Mrs. Weasley, looking at Bill curiously.

"Yeah," said Bill with a nod, as Mrs. Weasley nodded, but gave Bill a suspicious glance.

"Knew the kid resembled someone," Remus heard Ron mutter, as Hermione and Ginny traded looks of shock and something akin to disappointment.

"Can I continue?" asked Victoire, her hands on her hips as she glared at the crowd.

"Of course," nodded Remus, as she smiled sweetly at him.

"And I'm the oldest sibling! I'm going to Hogwarts next year!" cheered Victoire, supported with the loud supportive whoops from Sirius as he shifted the baby in his arms.

"Hello Victoire," said Bill quietly as she pranced over to him and gave him the same curious stare he was giving her. The blonde girl smiled as she waved shyly at Bill.

"Hi daddy," she said quietly, and Remus was the only one who heard as the crowd began to be sorted out by Molly.

"How are you?" asked Bill, in an awkwardly formal voice.

"I'm good," said Victoire shyly, as she gazed at Bill in wonder, apparently mesmerized by his face, free of any scars he must have gotten in battle with a werewolf. Remus cringed at the thought.

"Ah- Sit down," said Bill, nodding to the couch. Victoire apparently didn't see the nod, as she scampered excitedly into Bill's lap, surprising the man. He was so engrossed with Victoire as she began to excitedly ask him questions that he missed the pout on the small, cheerful red-headed girl.

"My turn!" she ordered quite loudly, grabbing everyone's attention, which seemed stuck in wonder on Bill and Victoire. Everyone snapped their head the girl, who looked fairly similar to Victoire, but with red hair and a different nose, a Weasley nose.

"I'm Dominique Weasley," she said, pleased to have the attention on her, as she began to boldly speak to the crowd, "I'm eight and a half! I'm going to be nine in June! I'm going to be an explorer when I grow up, and a Cursebreaker! Just like daddy!"

"That answers so many questions," muttered Ron, earning some laughter from around the room.

Dominique marched over to where Victoire was sitting, and looked her sister stubbornly in the eye as she folded her arms across her chest. Oddly, she vaguely resembled Molly Weasley like that. Victoire cocked an eyebrow, and everyone watched, curious about the merging tension, though Teddy seemed to be chuckling softly to himself, and the other children more interested in staring at the people of the past.

"That's my spot," said Dominique finally, as Bill's eyebrows shot up in surprise, looking between his two daughters.

"I got here first," said Victoire, stubbornly clinging to Bill.

"But I want to sit there!" whined Dominique, before tugging on Bill's sleeve, "Daddy, tell Vicky to move!"

"Ah- you can sit on my other leg, Dominique," said Bill, apparently too shocked at his daughter's apparent possessiveness.

"No! That's my spot! I always sit over there!" argued Dominique, before she began to push Victoire, "Get off!"

"Hey!" called Bill, pulling Dominique's hand away, "Don't shove your sister!"

"But that's my spot!" argued Dominique, glaring at Victoire, who simply glared back stubbornly. "Tell her to move daddy!"

"Either you sit over here," said Bill, frowning a bit, "Or don't sit at all."

Apparently Dominique wasn't too shocked by this, suggesting she hadn't thought she'd win the argument, which Remus could tell was a relief to Bill. The girl climbed onto his other leg, and sat, her arms crossed in a pout, before she kicked Victoire slightly. Victorie responded by shoving Dominique, and Remus found himself holding back a snicker as Bill told them both to quit or else. He seemed frazzled by the attention, as he threw his father a pleading look. The twins were laughing silently behind Harry's back, apparently entirely amused.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, beaming as though the two girls had sweetly introduced themselves, rather than start a fight, and turned to the crowd as she ushered a blonde boy forward. He looked exactly like Bill would have as a child, and Remus cast a sly glance at the man, wondering how he'd get another kid on his lap with such possessive daughters. He suddenly felt very grateful Teddy was an only child, and he pet the kid's head affectionately, before drawing his hand away quickly. He knew without looking over at Teddy that the kid was red as a tomato.

"I'm Louis Weasley," said the boy finally, seeming to be searching the crowd for a face, and looking a bit disappointed at not seeing it. "I'm six years old. My mom and dad are Fleur and Bill Weasley."

The boy quieted down as he slowly made his way over to Bill, who already seemed to be trying to shuffle the girls, who were squealing as he did. Louis however had other plans as he sat down cross-legged on the floor between Bill's legs. Surprised, Bill asked, "Don't you want to sit up here?"

"I'm a big boy," he said, crossing his arms stubbornly and gazing furiously at the ground.

"He's a mummy's boy," explained Victoire easily, as Dominique added, "He misses mum."

"No I don't!" shouted the boy angrily, his cheeks flushed as he smacked both his sisters.

"Ow!" Cried Victoire, as Dominique smacked her brother back, glaring as she said, "No hitting girls!"

"Get 'em Louis!" called two boys from the crowd, with red hair and curly dark hair. One was the red-headed boy who stood by Sirius, the other seemed to have worked his way near the twins, and had tanned skin.

"None of that!" called Mrs. Weasley with pursed lips, getting the boys to settle down, while throwing the girls glares.

Apparently, unlike Bill's presence, Louis brought his sisters together in an alliance at his expense. Their father only served to have both girls go against each other for his attention. Louis looked ready to hit them again, but Bill called for the three to quit, as Louis pouted angrily and crossed his arms, looking adorably defiant. It seemed the veela in the Bill's three hellion children made it hard to stay angry at them.

"Alright, next up!" called Fred excitedly, though there seemed to be something missing from his usual exuberance, though Remus was hard pressed to determine what it was.

With wide-eyes stepped the blonde little girl who so resembled Percy. Without glasses on her nose, however, it was hard to tell. Her blue eyes were wide and awed as she stared through the crowd. The girl suddenly turned red when she realized she had to speak, and Remus saw Louis smirk at her behavior.

"Coward," he muttered, but loud enough that the little girl heard and flashed him an angry look.

"Shut up Louis!" cried the girl, stomping her foot angrily.

"Now sweetie," said Molly kindly, "We don't say those things to our cousins! Just go ahead and introduce yourself."

"Fine, sorry gran," said the girl with a flushed face, embarrassed to be scolded. However, she straightened up and smiled sweet and innocently, "My name is Molly Weasley! I'm seven-

"No you're not!" called Louis, and she glared at him.

"I'll be seven in November," amended Molly as Louis stuck his tongue out at her, "And my mummy and daddy are Percy and Aubrey Weasley. My mum's a muggle! She taught me all about zombies and televisions and planes!"

"You're mum's a muggle you say?" said Arthur excitedly, sitting up brightly as he looked over at Molly, who giggled in response, while Percy sat beside him and gaped like a fish.

"No zombies!" cried the small, black-haired girl in worry.

"There are no zombies sweetie," said Molly, wondering what on earth a zomby was, as the girl nodded and cuddled closer to Molly.

"Percy got married?" muttered Fred conspiratorially towards Harry, "Who saw that coming?"

Harry smirked, while Percy seemed to muttering the name Aubrey over and over again. Meanwhile Molly bounded over to Arthur's side of the couch and was lifted onto his lap. Arthur was excitedly asking her what muggle things she did, and Molly was more than happy to oblige as she gaily explained her first trip on an airplane with mummy and daddy. Percy's jaw was wide open as she described it, and he looked as though he might faint.

"I flew in a mechanical bird?" he muttered, looking shocked, as Molly launched into the tale for Arthur. Percy slowly grew paler and paler with each word. Arthur was growing more and more excited, muttering 'Fascinating!' over and over again.

"Is it my turn yet!?" demanded the boy near the twins.

"Go ahead Fre-

"No! I'm introducing myself!" said the boy, standing as tall as possible and bouncing up and down, before turning and suddenly shyly staring at the twins. Fred raised an eyebrow at the dark-skinned boy, and suddenly he stared at George, who still seemed off in a depressed world, rather than noticing this.

"I'm Fred Lee Weasley," he said shyly, ducking backwards beside Molly. When did the Weasley matriarch become a symbol of safety to these kids, wondered Fred Sr, before realizing it probably had to do with her overly happy attitude and ability to cook for an army.

"Brilliant name," said Fred seriously, as George snapped his head up to look at the kid, apparently mesmerized. Harry was the only one to notice Fred's body tense, and the glimmer of a tear in his eye.

"I know, I'm Fredlee, gettit?" said the boy gaily, and Fred couldn't help the grin that broke over his face. George was grinning widely too, as the boy stood up prouder, his curly black hair flat on his head as his blue eyes glimmered cheerfully.

"Can I guess who your dad is?" asked Fred, as he reached around Harry and shoved George who responded by grinning, before gazing again at the kid.

"Nuh uh! I'm introducing myself," said the boy, smiling shyly at Fred, as he continued, "I'm five- almost six! And my dad's George Weasley, mum's Angelina."

"Angelina?" said Fred in surprise, giving George a look. His twin seemed surprised as well, but his cheeks were just a slight red, and Fred grinned slightly. "Always knew she'd end up with a Weasley!"

"I-

"Stuff it," said Fred, cutting off George before he could say anything, but he turned back to Freddy and asked, "Anything else, Fredlee?"

"My dad has the best joke shop in the whole world!"

The boy threw his hands into the air in delight, however, everyone went silent. Molly's eyes were wide in shock, as she mouthed joke shop over and over. Arthur and Percy were nearly catatonic, for different reasons, from Molly's mechanical bird story, so they had hardly heard. However, any reaction was dull in comparison to the twins. They immediately shot up, happier than ever, cheering like wild animals. They hugged, thumping each other on the back before shouting whoops of glee. George was doing some strange dance as Fred lifted Freddy up into the air, tossing the kid as Mrs. Weasley shrieked for him to be put down.

"We did it!" yelled Fred, as George cackled with a maniacal glee.

"Best goddamn joke shop in the world!" hooted George, as Mrs. Weasley went red in the face and yelled,

"Language boys!"

"Sorry mum," said Fred or maybe George, as they high-fived again, laughing hard, and the little giggles of Freddy joining their glee.

"I'm proud of you, sons," said Arthur with a smile, having returned from excitement of the muggle mechanical plane.

"Thanks dad!" beamed the twins.

"I'm glad for you as well," said Mrs. Weasley with a resigned sort of sigh.

"Really mum?" asked one of the twins in surprise, as the other slung an arm around her and kissed her on the cheek. The baby in her arms squealed at the intrusion, while Albus squeaked and shuffled to her other leg.

"Of course, but be mindful of the babies," said Mrs. Weasley with a glare, before smiling and kissing Fred on the cheek, and moving to hug George, again crushing the girl in her arms.  
To everyone's surprise, when Mrs. Weasley parted backwards from George, breaking the hug, the little curly-haired toddler clung tightly to his shirt, her fists balled, stretching the fabric. Surprised, Mrs. Weasley and George exchanged uncertain looks as Fred settled back into his seat beside Harry, with Freddy on his lap. He looked highly amused as the pale skinned, dark haired girl clung furiously to George.

"Erm, I guess Roxy wants to stay with you," said Mrs. Weasley, as George gaped at the kid, who gave him a watery, pleading look with those big blue eyes.

"Er-

"She likes daddy best," explained Freddy, making a face at the girl as he said, "That's my little sister Roxanne. She's the Weasley baby. She's just turned two. She's annoying."

"Am not!" replied the girl, as Mrs. Weasley awkwardly transferred her to George's arms, as the teenager looked like a frightened deer. Apparently a baby girl was not up the prankster's alley.

"Hi Roxy," said George, his eyes wide as he stared at the baby girl. She looked stoically serious at him, before clapping her chubby hands over his eyes.

"Peekaboo!" she said delightedly, as Freddy rolled his eyes and scowled and Fred burst into laughter at the girl's behavior.

"That's not how you play Roxy," said Freddy, as she giggled back to him, uncovering George's eyes and waving to him.

"What?" mouthed George, as Ron and Fred burst into deeper laughter at his face, and Harry laughed weakly alongside them.

"Sit down Georgie," said his mother, as he flumped down beside Ron and Harry, both who found themselves curiously staring at George's daughter. She waved at both of them with her hands, before moving to occupy herself with George's buttons. She'd unbutton one, then button it up again.

"Well, aren't you cute?" cooed Fred, as he leaned closer to Harry to get a better look at the girl. She looked at him in confusion, her jaw agape a little, before turning to George and very seriously asking, "Daddy two?"

"No stupid," said Freddy, kicking her slightly with his foot, "He's Uncle Fred. I got my name from him."

Instead of crying out, Roxy grabbed Fred's foot as she giggled, apparently not concerned on why there were two of her daddies. Rather, she was now tugging at Freddy's toes as he thrashed to get away, crying out in anger and embarrassment at his little sister's behaviour. Fred chuckled as he helped George extricate the two, though Roxy pouted as she tried to reach for Fred again.

"No!" said Freddy, smacking her hand away, "Leave me alone!"

"F'eddy!" she cooed, still happily smiling at her brother, who scowled at her and mumbled something about stupid sisters under his breath. Fred found himself grinning with George, who ruffled Roxy's hair. She clapped excitedly, before returning to play with George's buttons.

"Can I go now?" whined the voice of the boy standing next to Sirius, and pouting as he glared at Roxanne for getting to cut the line.

"Your turn now," agreed Mrs. Weasley, as the kid grinned widely, and threw a devilish look at Harry. Finally, the kid stepped up to introduce himself, as Sirius chuckled softly in the background.


	6. The Morning Continues

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Ask JKR. **

**So, the new chapter. Still looking for a beta. It's pretty much un-betaed. Um, not much else to say. More updates to come I guess. Enjoy. **

**The Morning Continues**

"I'm James, James Sirius Potter!" replied the kid, as Harry's eyes widened and he suddenly sat up, fully alert.

"Potter?" repeated Harry, in a daze, "Potter?"

"Yeah, isn't that you're name too?" teased the kid, grinning up at Sirius, "You were right!"

"Just wait till you tell him his wife's name, then watch the fun kid," said Sirius, as Mrs. Weasley's lips twitched.

"I'm five, like Freddy! And my dad's the one and only Harry Potter! And my mum's the one and only Ginny Weasley!" said James dramatically, as a sudden flurry of events occurred.

Mrs. Weasley finally gave her long-awaited squeal of delight. Ginny, who had been very quiet during this entire ordeal, searching her own tiny images. She finally fell off her arm of the couch beside Arthur, and was now staring, with a tomato red face at James. Ron's face was a shade of purple. If Bill had any opportunity to move, he might have stood up to help Ginny, but his face remained simply shocked. Hermione had a hand clapped over her mouth as she stared between Harry and Ginny, apparently taken aback as well. The entire room was silent, watching the interactions pass by in silence.

"My sister?" asked Ron weakly to Harry, looking uneasy, "Why her? I mean- She's sort of- Why Ginny? Couldn't you pick anyone else?!"

"That's mummy you're talking about!" said the mini-Harry, sounding quite upset about the manner in which Ron spoke about Ginny, before he ducked again behind Molly.

"Can't say I'm surprised about that one being yours either, though I was positive he was Ron's," said Fred with a chuckle, as he peered curiously at Mini-Harry. "What's your name kid?"

"That's Albus, my little brother," said James with a grin, "He doesn't like meeting new people."

The room stared at the red-faced little boy, hiding behind Molly, but peering one green eye out at the group. Ron was still gaping like a fish at the boy, while Ginny paled as she looked at the kid in surprise. Mrs. Weasley pet the boy on the head, while Bill's attention was once more stolen as a fight broke out between his son and daughters. Remus watched as Teddy gave the little-Harry, Albus, an encouraging smile. He found himself once again proud of his son - his son!- for being so encouraging to the younger children.

"Aren't you upset?" demanded Ron to his brothers. The twins shrugged lazily in response, while Percy gave a very informal twitch, before shaking his head no. It may have had to do with Arthur's glance.

"Are you?" asked George curiously, as Roxanne now moved to tugging on both his ears, apparently fascinated.

"I- I guess not," said Ron, before turning to Harry and solemnly saying, "Good luck."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ginny angrily, sitting up now from the ground, as she glared at Ron, before meeting Harry's eyes, and ducking her head away, apparently speechless.

"See what I mean?" offered Ron. He still looked weakly accepting, however, Harry felt too dizzy and exhausted to worry about Ron's thoughts at the moment.

"So there's two for Harry and Gin-Gin, two for George, one for Percy, three for Bill- and three part veela at that! But none for Ronnie," teased Fred with a grin.

Ron turned purple again as he glared at his brother, while Freddy giggled at his namesakes joke. He stared, however, with an amount of curiosity at Ron, apparently not used to seeing his uncle teased like this. However, before anyone could say anything, or Ron could react with angry outburst, a little red-headed girl Remus was sure had a relation to Hermione, from her bushy red head.

"That's no nice!" she said, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Fred with big blue eyes.

"And who might you be little Miss?" asked Fred, amused as she mimicked Ron's glare, her brows furrowed angrily and a pout on her face.

"Rose Weasley," she said, before frowning and looking concernedly up at her gran and asking, "I didn't cut the line, did I?"

"You interrupted me!" argued James, pouting as Sirius fondly pet his head.

"Let James finish sweetheart," said Mrs. Weasley, as Rose nodded, turning around to face James.

"I'm going to be an astronaught or a Quidditch Player when I grow up!" said James solemnly, as the wizards looked confused.

"What's an aster-not?" asked Arthur excitedly.

"A space man!" said James excitedly, as Molly paled again and threw Ginny a dirty look.

"We'll see sweetie," said Mrs. Weasley , already looking determined to keep James out of space.

"Muggles can go to space?!" asked Arthur sounding positively delighted, as young Molly giggled and said, "Course they can! They have rockets!"

"What's a tock-it?!" asked Arthur, but before he could get an answer, Rose cried out in a whine, "Is it my turn yet?"

"It's Rose's turn everyone," said Mrs. Weasley sharply, apparently not enthused about about space in the same manner as her husband.

"My name is Rose Weasley," said the girl proudly, now turning to face everyone. Turning caused her red hair to flip into her face, and she used both hands to push it away, frowning as she did so. Hermione's jaw dropped a little, as she suddenly brushed a strand of her own brown hair away, her eyes wide as she began to blush.

"I'm four!" said Rose proudly now, holding up four fingers, and then proceeding to count them out loud, earning applause from the adults, and she smiled pleasantly. "My mummy is Hem- Herm-I-A-Nee Weasley-

"We brought you in Hermione! We're all a big Weasley family now!" whooped Fred, patting Ron on the back, who looked surprised at Fred's gesture, and turned to look at Rose, and then Hermione, and seemingly counting his brothers and the children, before his jaw dropped open.

"How so you know?" asked Rose with wide eyes, "I haven't said Daddy's name yet!"

"Can we guess?" asked George, as he wrapped an arm around Ron, who's face was a bright red as his mouth flopped like a fish. Harry's own eyes were wide as he stared between the very red-in-the-face Hermione and the nearly purple Ron.

"But you don't know!" said Rose, still confused.

"If we get it right," said Fred wickedly, apparently ready to abuse his brother already, "You tell us one thing your daddy told you about mummy, deal?"

Mrs. Weasley, the only person who could have possibly stopped this was far too busy being congratulated by Sirius as she practically cheered in elation about her future family. The two seemed to be congratulating one another about their children. Harry would have stared at them if he wasn't too entranced by Rose shaking Fred's hand, and the smirks on the faces of the twins. Ron and Hermione were in a state of shock. Harry felt sorry for them, until his eyes glanced at Ginny and his mind went blank in confusion again.

"It's Ron Weasley!" said George seriously, before yelping in pain. Roxanne had tugged his ear too hard.

Rose clapped her hands over her mouth, and stared at the twins before nodding, apparently shocked. Ron started to cough loudly, and Harry would have reached around George to thump him on the back, but George was already clapping him on the back. Percy was loudly congratulating the two as Hermione covered her face with a pillow. The kids were laughing, apparently amused by this reaction. Mrs. Weasley had given her last excited squeal, sighing happily. Bill was finally able to get his children to behave, and Remus was catching him up as he snickered.

"Your turn to fulfill the bargain, one thing daddy says about mummy," said Fred as Ron tried to kick him, nit ended up hitting Harry's shin.

"Um- I don't know!" said Rose with a frown.

"Doesn't daddy say something about mummy?" asked Fred, "Anything at all?"

"He says she's the smartest witch he knows," offered Rose, and the twins frowned.

"Everyone knows that," said Fred dismissively, "Something else!"

"But I already said something! It's Albus's turn now," said Rose with a frown, before turning to Albus and bossily saying, "Your turn."

Albus squeaked, and dove his head into Mrs. Weasley's leg, while Rose made her way over to Ron and smiled very sweetly. The teenage boy stared at her, apparently mesmerized as she waited patiently for something. Finally Percy helped her out, and leaned across the arm of his couch to lift her up onto Ron's lap, who gaped and sat into the couch as she cuddled into Ron. Before she could notice Ron's sudden bout of shock, George silently lifted Ron's arm to wrap around her. Ron's other hand lifted a red curly lock of hers to stare at it, apparently bewildered.

"Albus sweetie?" said Mrs. Weasley, nudging him forward, and the boy gaped at the crowd, apparently terrified.

"You can do it Al," Teddy whispered, making a silly face by forming his nose to look like a pig nose.

Al screwed his face up in determination and very quickly spouted out, "MynameisAlbusPotterI'mfour!"

"Very good Al, that was very brave!" said Mrs. Weasley proudly, getting him to turn excitedly and squeak, "Am I a G'yffindor?"

"Of course sweet heart, do you want to join mummy or daddy now?" she said warmly, as Sirius cheered, "Bravest Gryffindor!"

Albus looked nervously at Mrs. Weasley, and then at his parents. His father looked terrified, his mother did too. He stared at his dad, as the twins waved him over, and Rose began to giggle, having found her dad playing with her hair. Apparently she had requested a braid, and was teaching Ron how to braid hair. He then stared at a red-faced Ginny, who had crawled on the ground to the side of the couch beside Teddy, hiding behind the arm of a couch so she wouldn't see Harry's face accidentally anymore. Albus stared mournfully at Mrs. Weasley, who opened her mouth to tell him he could stay, but instead the child scrambled over to where Ginny was, who gaped openly as the child wrapped his hands in her shirt and hugged her, apparently his bravery spent for the day. Ginny gaped at the kid, while Mrs. Weasley mouthed hug. Awkwardly the girl wrapped her arms around the boy, who relaxed in her arms. Ginny's face was bright red.

"I don't think that's how she imagined a black-haired fellow entering her arms," teased Fred, as Ginny threw him a murderous glare, ducking her head around the couch to make sure he saw her anger, before blushing when she caught Harry's eyes.

"You don't want me?" asked Albus, horrified as he stepped back and looked near tears. Mrs. Weasley threw Fred a dirty look, as Ginny gaped and immediately rushed to console the boy.

"He's only got half a brain," said Ginny immediately, "Since there's two of them. Bad condition. How could anyone not want you?"

"Okay," said Albus, nodding placidly. Ginny stared in amazement. She couldn't remember being so naive as a kid. Did she ever just blindly believe what her parents told her? Albus seemed to, as he wrapped his arms round Ginny's, and clung to her desperately, watching Mrs. Weasley. Awkwardly she wrapped an arm around the boy, watching the proceeding introductions continue.

"Who's next?" asked Mrs. Weasley, glancing at the toddlers assembled. Their patience was wearing thin as they all began to loudly exclaim it was their turn.

"It's Lily next, then Hugo, and then Lucy!" supplied Rose, and Mrs. Weasley threw her a grateful look while Lucy scowled.

"No fair," muttered Lucy, but Lily was already waving her hands in Sirius's arms, excited as the attention came to her.

"Lily me!" she said excitedly, "I'm two!"

"And who are your mummy and daddy?" cooed Sirius, throwing Harry a wicked smirk as the child glanced at Sirius in his arms.

"That daddy," she said, pointing to Harry, who merely stared, already pretty sure from the girl's astounding resemblance of Ginny, and her name, "And that mummy!"

"Three kids Harry," whistled Fred, "You and Ginny sure got busy."

"Fred!" came the angry voices of both Molly and Ginny, which startled Albus to cling closer to Ginny, mimicking a koala.

"Anything else you want to share Lily?" asked Sirius pleasantly, completely ignoring the tension around him.

"I'm daddy's p'in-cess!" she said proudly, causing Molly and Sirius to simultaneously coo, once again causing Harry to stare at the two.

"Do you want to sit with your daddy?" asked Molly gently, as Lily glanced at Harry.

"Yeah!" she cheered, clapping her hands as Sirius put her down. The little girl wobbled over to Harry, practically running on her tiny little feet towards him. Harry was quicker to react than Ron as he lifted her up, and was a little surprised at how affectionate she was as she hugged him. She began talking about something, and moving her hands, but it was too quick for him to follow, and half the words didn't seem to make sense. Thankfully, Molly interrupted her babble to tell everyone it was Hugo's turn.

"I'm 'Ugo!" said the little boy, shyly hovering near Molly, but not clinging. He glanced out with his blue eyes under dark lashes as he glanced uncertainly up at Molly, who only encouraged him. "I'm this many!"

He held up two fingers, and everyone gave exclamations of how big he was. He grinned, while his ears turned red, apparently embarrassed by all the praise. He took a step closer to Molly, the never-ending source of comfort, and she lightly pet his head, encouraging him to continue. Bravely, he said, "Me and Rosie have same mummy and daddy!"

"And Ron scores two!" cheered George, as Ron turned red in his ears. The little Hugo stared over at George, amazed at the man's exuberance. He seemed a bit dumbstruck, and watched the interactions curiously, with a wide-eyed wonder.

"Anything else Hugo?" asked Molly sweetly, and the boy turned back to her as he pouted, trying to think hard of what he wanted to say. Finally he beamed as he said, "Daddy took me on b'oom even though mummy said no and we went up and upper and upper until mummy sc'eamed and I had to go downer! I like flying!"

That caused some chuckles around the room as Hermione ducked out from the pillow and gaped at the little boy. Fred and George were trying hard to contain their laughter for Hugo's sake, as Ron's ears went tomato red. Rose was surprisingly grinning as she said, "He always takes us on broom rides, even though mummy says he shouldn't take us too high."

Hermione tossed Ron an angry look, as he sank lower into the couch, abandoning Rose's new messy little braid. Percy gave Ron a dirty look, as his little Molly transferred herself to his lap. Remus and Bill both grinned, while Teddy whispered into their ear that he and Uncle Harry had been breaking the broomstick rule since Hugo and Rose were born! Ginny gave Hermione a sympathetic look, as Albus's arms moved around her neck, instead of tugging her shirt. The girl was still amazed by her son's strength!

Hugo moved off from Ron and over to Hermione, distracting her from being angry with Ron. He stared up at her curiously, as she moved to help him up. He didn't say anything, just smiled in her lap. Ron looked flabbergasted seeing his brown-haired copy in Hermione's arms, and Harry felt a sudden relief in knowing his little clone wasn't visible thanks to Ginny's seat. It made it all the more embarrassing he assumed.

"Alright, and now it's Lucy's turn!" said Molly, relieved to get to the final child, and a little disappointed as she realized they'd all run off from her.

"I'm Lucy!" said the little girl, thrilled with everyone's spot-lighted attention. She really didn't look like any of the Weasley's, not with her curly red hair, and those hazel eyes. Only the red hair and dusting of freckles across her face seemed Weasley-ish traits. The girl, however, was beaming as she continued to say, "I'm a'most two!"

"That's wonderful," said Percy gently, as everyone else added their nods, and she beamed brightly at her father.

"That my dada!" she said, pointing to Percy who simply froze.

Lucy however, didn't notice as she also added on, "And I like to p'ay with dollies! My dollies a'e Suzy, Muffin and Kit!"

"That's wonderful sweetie," said Molly, as Lucy nodded seriously and said, "We have tea pa'ties! Sometimes Molly p'ays too, and Lily a'ways comes for a pa'ty!"

"Tea pa'ties fun!" exclaimed Lily, clapping her hands.

"Think we can have a tea party?" asked George kindly, and Lucy nodded seriously as she said, "But I don't have cups!"

"It's alright dear, we'll play tea party later, but how about you go sit with your father, and I'll get lunch ready for everyone," said Molly to her granddaughter. Lucy nodded, and moved over to Percy. Arthur scooped her up, and she giggled brightly, hugging the old man, as Lucy grinned at her father.

At the final introduction, Molly beamed around the room. She lifted a camera off a dresser and took a few pictures. Harry was staring at Lily, who babbled on and on about something or the other. Rose was making Ron redo her braid, as Roxy got bored of George playing with her hair. The teenager simply put her up in air, and she squealed happily as he made her 'fly'. Freddy was regaling Fred with excited little stories about how he had blown up his parents bed, and Fred was lavishing him in praise. Over by Percy and Arthur, Percy's children were monopolizing the older men's attention. Molly seemed wary of her younger sister, who had both men enraptured. Percy trying to pluck out features to find the woman he'd marry, and Arthur delighted as she explained how to play tea party. Molly was silent though, frowning a little at her baby sister, before tapping Percy's cheek for attention which he gladly gave as she told him a story about her birthday.

Remus had moved over to Sirius, pulling Teddy along, and the two were laughing as James told them all about the garden gnome war he'd incited, with Teddy adding details about the reactions of others. Remus still seemed a little nervous around Teddy, and the boy was a little stiff, but he seemed to be alright. Hermione and Ginny had both paired together. Hugo seemed to be telling them a story about b'ooms and fireworks, while Albus stayed wrapped around Ginny, still nervous to approach anyone else. Over by Bill and Remus, Victoire and Dominique were both talking loudly at once to Bill, who looked frazzled trying to keep up with them. Louis sat pouting on the ground, glancing mournfully around. Molly lowered the camera after the last picture, and moved to her little grandson.

"Want to help me in the kitchen, Louis?" she asked, and the little boy glanced up at his grandmother.

"Uh- sure Gran," he said, and she took his hand and led him out of the room. He still seemed a little upset as they entered the kitchen.

The kitchen had undergone a dramatic change. The walls were now the old, creamy gold color they had been when the house was well-kept. The hard wood cupboards had been re-varnished, and gleamed brightly. Each utensil was well kept and the china inside of the cupboards practically shined. The stove was so clean and new-looking, though it still had a black-gothic theme to it. This was a kitchen she didn't feel guilty cooking in. She sat Louis on a counter, only to turn in surprise to see the little elf Dobby, her new helpful hand.

"Is the missus needing Dobby?" asked the elf, as Louis glanced curiously at the elf.

"Oh! Dobby! Wonderful! Just give me a minute, alright?" she asked, as the elf eagerly nodded and said, "Yes Miss Wheezy!"

"What would you like to eat Louis?" asked the older woman to the little boy, who glanced back at Molly and shrugged.

"I guess- pasta," he said with a nod, "And pie."

"Alright," said Molly with a smile, "We can make pies for a tea time snack, but pasta's a good place to start. We'll make some mashed potatoes, some macaroni pasta in a tomato-based sauce, and some salad to go with it. Do you want to add sausage to the pasta?"

"Yeah!" said the boy, getting excited as he glanced over at Molly.

"Well, why don't you go count out twenty potatoes, twelve tomatoes, eight onions- medium sized, and six cloves of garlic from there? Then give them to Dobby and he can start cutting it, while I gather the other ingredients?" said Molly, as she put the boy down.

"Kay Gran! Come on Dobby!" said the little boy, taking the elf's hand and leading him to new pantry. The elf seemed surprised, but didn't object as he delightedly said, "Yes Master Wheezy!"

"Who's that?" asked Louis in surprise, "I'm Louis!"

"Master Louis!" amended the little elf, as they reached the vegetable cupboard and gaped at the stocked shelves, filled with every kind of vegetable imaginable.

Louis began to count out each vegetable loudly, and Dobby placed them in a large bowl, as the little boy remembered what his mother taught him about the vegetables. He showed the elf how he checked for the hard tomatoes, and ended up squeezing the juice of one tomato on them both. To his delight, the elf managed to wash it away with a snap of his fingers! Then he showed how he searched for the best-looking potatoes, because the ones with blemishes were ugly. And finally, he searched for the onions that were medium-sized, so not big and not small. And in all this fun with his new elf friend, he could almost forget that his mother wasn't there, almost.


End file.
